The Lessons You Shouldn’t Teach Your Children, According To The Internet
Every parent is going to have a different style or different opinion about how to raise their children, but there are some things that everyone can agree on.
On Reddit, someone asked, "What harmful things are being taught to children?" and people did not hold back. According to the AskReddit thread, these are some of the things that parents need to stop teaching their children.
"Ignore Bullies And They'll Leave You Alone"
"When you do that, one of two things are likely to happen. Either they'll mess with you more, or they'll move to someone else and bully them.
"If you stand up to bullies, they back down. The earlier in life you put these people in their place, the less likely they'll develop their bad behavior as a lifelong practice." —Reddit / EGoldenRule
"No" Isn't A Bad Word
"No" is a word that every child (and adult) should be able to use at any point.
As a parent, you could challenge that or ask your child why, but don't rule the word out altogether.
Protect The Ducks!
"Teaching kids to feed ducks bread is really harmful to the ducks' digestion and nutrition" —Reddit / Rabaunt
Maybe not the most pressing thing to be teaching your child, but still important to know, I guess...
Young Peoples' Issues Matter Too
"Nobody cares about children's/teens issues. 'Well it’s only going to get worse from here.' 'You think school is hard? Have you ever paid a bill' 'You’re just a kid you can’t feel this way.'
"It breeds an emotional disconnect from parents and their kids. And makes kids feel alone in their emotional struggles, that nobody cares because they’re not adults and they don’t have 'Adult Problems.'" —Reddit / Fantalitymlp
Doing A Dumb Thing For The Internet Doesn't Make You Smart
"That doing something stupid or harmful on camera for attention is perfectly fine.
"Had a friend die from a stupid challenge and I then realized how stupid fellow teenagers are acting on the internet by putting themselves or others in harm." —Reddit / Dundercheif
Influencers Aren't Always Good Influences
"Basically all those social media influencers that teach young people that it's all about money and brand names" —Reddit / TRGMORGAN
Just because they're famous does not mean that they're going to teach your child something you want them to learn.
Soccer Was Apparently Too Dangerous To Play At School
"Probably not harmful, but in Kindergarten we were prohibited from playing soccer because it was 'too dangerous.' We were Kindergarteners.
"We probably would stand there and kick the ball, not go full-on FIFA." —Reddit / DarkHelix_
Parents Shouldn't Broadcast Their Kids' Lives On Social Media
"The amount of parents I see on social media just sharing everything that happens in their child's life is astounding. Maybe Bobby doesn't what everyone to know that tried out for the school play but he didn't make it.
"That may not be a big deal to you but Bobby might be really upset right now and having everyone his mom knows giving opinions on the subject probably won't help." —Reddit / goggle_pocket
Kids Should Be Allowed To Challenge Adults
"'No backtalk.' Many adults use it as 'you're not allowed to challenge what I have to say.'
"Makes sense if it's a cranky toddler being negative for negativity's sake, but suddenly older children can't question things or raise valid points of their own." —Reddit / lesoldatrose
Being Grateful Doesn't Mean You Can't Complain
Children should be able to be upset about something or have a valid complaint without being accused of being ungrateful.
Even as adults, sometimes you just need to complain about things.
Stop Giving Out Consolation Prizes To Kids
"That everybody is a winner. No. Losing and disappointments are part of life and they are integral to your growth both emotionally and socially.
"We have a lot of people who enter the real world who have been told they are deserving of things just because and cannot take rejections and losses in their personal and professional lives with any grace whatsoever. This is also resulting in mediocrity being accepted as a norm cos nobody wants to call out ineptitude." —Reddit / nattlefrost
You Can Choose Who To Be Friends With
"You do not have to play with everyone. There is a total lack of social accountability. If Laura is always cheating at tag, it's okay to not let her play.
"If Little Billy throws sand in the sandbox, Little Timmy does not have to play with him. Laura and Billy need to learn how to play appropriately." —Reddit / lethologica5
Maybe He's Just Being Mean
"'If he's mean to you he likes you.' It just teaches little girls (mostly girls) to expect violence from people who love them." —Reddit / mbar2004
"Little girls get told all the time that boys are bullying them because they like them." —Reddit / zevzevi
Respect Is Earned, Not Assumed
"You show me respect first because I'm an adult and have authority then I choose whether I should show you respect no other way!" —Reddit / kroke_monster
"There is a difference between 'treating someone with respect' and 'respecting someone.' We all deserve to be treated with respect, but we need to earn being respected." —Reddit / WhereTFAmI
Failure Is How You Learn
"Being wrong is bad. That's why many people don't change their mind when they were given trustable sources, they don't want to be wrong." —Reddit / oti890
Being wrong shouldn't be seen as a bad thing. It just gives you an opportunity to learn something new or change your opinion.
Life Isn't Always Going To Seem Fair
"The lie that life is fair and things happen for benevolent, valid reasons.
"Then we let them get burned and figure it out themselves." —Reddit / mrstipez
Respect Your Child's Physical Boundaries
"Making children hug or kiss someone (usually a relative) that they are uncomfortable with is not good. The child may just be grumpy and or not wanting to show affection or their warning bell sensors could be going off and they do not know how to communicate that.
"Plus forcing them to hug/kiss sends mixed messages about personal/physical boundaries and affection itself." —Reddit / NemoKhongMotAi
Sometimes You Need To Fight Back
"Happened to my son in middle school, a kid sucker punched my son. My son then fought back and pinned the kid against the wall (he has long arms) and punched him a few times. The school called me and my wife and told us our son was suspended.
"We asked what the school believed our son should have done and they said he should just walk away. We told them that he would not be receiving any punishment at home." — Reddit / VaDem33
Don't Let Them Know "Baby Shark" Exists
"Baby Shark. Not that it's inherently harmful, but given the chance, my 5-year-old would watch that for 8 hours a day.
"What is it about those sharks?! Do do dooo...." —Reddit / iaskejevees
Wait To Share Your Political Views With Your Children
"Political views, at ages that children are really too young to understand them. They just spout off their parent's thoughts." —Reddit / mokshmoon
Save the politics talk until they're old enough to understand the issues you're voicing opinions about.
There's More Than One Side To History
"History from a single perspective. I am a history teacher and I firmly believe one of the most damaging things schools do is teach history from a single perspective, especially a euro-centric one.
"It just isn't how history works and causes lots of issues for any person/group who doesn't share that single perspective." —Reddit / ND_5913
A Difference Of Opinions Isn't A Bad Thing
"If you have a different opinion than someone, you hate them and that's wrong." —Reddit / Fifty7Roses
You can still be friends with people who have different opinions than you!
White Lies Aren't Always The Best Thing
Plenty of parents tell little white lies to their children in moments of uncertainty.
It can be a harmless gesture, or it can come back to bite you when you miss a moment to properly explain something to your child by choosing to tell a small fib.
University Isn't The Path For Everying
"This is more at a high school level, but that trade schools or learning a trade is a lessor option compared to a standard college degree.
"Trade schools and learning a skilled trade need just as much emphasis as a college degree." —Reddit / TorturedChaos
Just Eat Until You're Full
"Finishing your plate—you should eat 'til you're full, not until there is no more food on your plate." —Reddit / Chlortrifluorid
"While we don't want to encourage overeating, the message should be: Don't waste food. You should only take what you can eat. If you aren't sure only take only a small portion. Don't pile food on the plate and then throw half of it away." —Reddi / IrianJaya
Harsh, But Maybe True?
"That you can be anything you want in life.
"Sorry, but this just isn't correct. Poor Eddie who can't grasp basic division isn't going to be an astronaut." —Reddit / Rukawork
It's Part Of Life
"Teaching them that it's not okay to fail. Some people need a little more time than others. It’s okay to not get something now. Kids should be given more time to process things. Imagine having a poor grade because of a low score from the beginning of the year.
"How can we show children that it’s not pass or fail, it’s try and improve?" —Reddit / 0-Username-o
Boys Can Cry Too
"This one is about boys specifically. That men don't cry, or show joy, or give your kids a ton of love. I say nah, screw that. I'm gonna shower my kids in love." —Reddit / Pringlez_man
"Telling little boys to not cry and 'be a man'" —Reddit / -eDgAR-
It's Okay To Not Love Every Job You Have
"Going too far on the 'find your dream job and it'll never feel like work' stuff.
"Really messed me up when I wasn't 'excited' about uni assignments and thought I had to change degrees" —Reddit / TheRealGreenTreeFrog
Colors Don't Have Genders
"That blue is for boys and pink is for girls, I hear stories about kids getting bullied because they wear 'boy colors' or 'girl colors.'
"I'd hate to see little kids bullied because they like a certain color." —Reddit / i-like-dinothaurz
