Kids learn most of the things by observing their parents. Find about the top 5 negative things kids learn from their parents.For a child, a parent is the first and foremost example. A parent, being the primary care giver, becomes a child’s first inspiration they learn the meaning of life from. But parents, unintentionally, can teach their kids negative things that could harm a child’s psyche.
Here are 5 negative things kids learn from their parents whether they know it or not:
1. Arguments
If your child witnesses arguments on a regular level, she can also develop the same aggressive and violent nature. Arguments can be handled fairly and with a mature outlook. If you do
argue with your spouse about something, make sure that your child actually benefits from seeing you two resolve the issue in a healthy, peaceful and smart manner. Physical and verbal fights can harm the emotional and mental stability of kids, and hence should be avoided at all costs.
If your child sees you fight too often, she might start blaming himself for your arguments and may remain traumatized from inside for days, even years. This could lead to violent and explosive behaviour in her as she grows up, and she can end up resorting to criminal or other anti-social activities. Remember dysfunctional children are born from dysfunctional families.
2. Violence
If your child witness violence or abuse of any kind, it can destroy your child. Abuse, be it physical or verbal, causes a wide range of self destructive and anti-social behaviour in growing children. Violence is one negative activity that kids easily pick up from their parents and can tend to stick to them in future. Parents who abuse their children may cause them to be violent and
aggressive as well, which could lead them to get involved in harmful activities like drug or alcohol. Instead of having a positive influence, parents tend to have a negative impact on their children and destroy them from inside and outside.
3. Hard Disciplining
The way parent
discipline their kids also greatly affects a
child’s behaviour and can predict how she grows up. When a parent uses force, be it verbal or physical, it does not really change a kid’s behaviour but actually makes her distance you. Children tend to react aggressively to hard disciplining methods and hence, have a negative impact on their psyche. Instead of using hard disciplining methods, you can modify your child’s behaviour by using milder strategies such as time outs etc. Remember rough disciplining can only have a negative impact on their health as well as mind.
4. Being Anti-Social
According to a research conducted by University of Chicago, if you are an anti-social parent, it is more than likely that your children will learn this negative habit from you and follow through the rest of their lives. Children are similar to sponges, who model everything their parents do and adopt their habits into their own lives. Hence, parents can have a great impact on their child’s behaviour as well. If you have a negative habit of being anti-social, then your child can lead the same path, resulting in bad behaviour. To help them adopt better social skills, make them understand the importance of simple words like “thank you” and “please” in front of company so that they can learn and make it a habit as well.
5. Not Handling Stress Well
How a parent reacts to stress, tells us a lot about how their kids will react in pressure as well. If you, as a parent, react negatively in a stressed environment, your child can learn to react the same way. Negative actions like
yelling, cursing, breaking stuff and lashing out on people around you can harm your child’s behaviour as well. If you continue acting out negatively, your child can shut himself down and be emotionally unstable. If you learn to handle stress positively, you can teach your child to act positively under stress as well.
Our children might grow older but one thing never changes, we are always our children’s role model. It is important that they see us as nothing but rightful examples. Negative actions and habits can ruin your kid’s childhood and lead her to bad behaviour. Always strive to be a better parent and a person for your children to instil in them positive values.
How can parents prevent kids from developing negative behaviour? What can parents do to inculcate good behaviour in kids? What do kids learn from parents’ behaviour? Discuss here.