Navigating parenthood can be a complex journey. Parents, with all their good intentions, sometimes impart lessons to their children that have surprising results.
It’s a great quality until it affects your physical and mental health,” one respondent writes. Nonetheless, even when it hurts them, people who constantly give must learn it’s okay to say no.
There is such a thing as being too honest with your kids. One person expresses their resentment at being placed in that position by their parents, vowing to never put their children in the middle of adult subjects such as money issues and relationship problems.
A commenter spent their childhood having their feelings nullified, describing how “my depressive episodes and panic attacks are just ‘being dramatic’ and that I should spend time isolating until I calm down.”
Many children could only leave the kitchen or dining room table after eating everything on their plates. This approach can give a child an unhealthy relationship with food and be the start of poor eating habits.
A common mantra among parents who wish to emphasize independence, one commenter describes how they believe, “Asking for help is akin to saying you’ve failed.” Asking for help is a sign of courage, not weakness.
One respondent recalls hearing, “If I don’t have a manual labor job of 12+ hours 6 days a week, I don’t have a real job, and that if I’m unemployed, I’m a useless leech and have nothing to contribute to society.”
Being told to keep your feelings inside represses emotions and doesn’t allow you to be honest with yourself or others. Repression is a terrible burden on a child because it stays with them through adulthood.