Do You Make Your Child Feel Guilty?

-- End Ad Box --->children may cause a rift between the parents or the
Criticism, nagging and scolding by parents -in harsh orfamily members. Blaming the child for causing
soft words, on major or minor issues-destroys the selfmisunderstandings makes him feel guilty for the
esteem of the child. But it may also rouse a veryunhappiness caused to you. Don’t burden your
dangerous feeling in the child -that of guilt. This feelinglittle child by holding him responsible for issues arising in
of guilt can distort the way the child thinks aboutthe family.
himself.How do respond to his failures? When parents
How do you react to his ‘mischief’? Childrenexpress their disappointment or how ashamed they
are children. We often lose our patience when theyfeel when the child loses in a competition or
act their age. But little do we realize that our repeateddoesn’t score good marks, it is the ultimate
remarks like ‘every time you go out, you create ablow to his self-confidence. The child begins to feel he
fuss for having something or the other’ oris not good enough. And he’ll operate all his life
‘you are such a stubborn child’ can make thefrom the understanding ‘others are good, I am
child feel guilty of being a ‘trouble maker’. Asbad’.
a result he may become conscious of his actions andHow do you make him realize his mistakes? While
gradually stop expressing himself.disciplining the child, parents indulge in soft emotional
How do you deal with his unreasonableblackmail like ‘we love you so much, we have given
‘wants’? Children don’t understandyou everything, still you misbehave or don’t
why he cannot have everything he wants nor that onelisten to us’. This can make the child guilty of
should pay to get something. But when children insistbeing ‘unworthy’. He may feel he is someone
on taking some toy from the shop orwho doesn’t deserve good parents. Well, the
somebody’s place or bring home somethingfact is that every child deserves good parents and
without the knowledge of parents, mostly parentsgood parenting which is entirely in your hands.
criticize the child for being greedy or accuse him ofThe child who is weighed down by guilt can never rise
stealing. This makes the child doubt his intentions andin life. Hence, point out to your child his mistakes in a
feel guilty for being mean.way that gives him the power to improve and not feel
How do you take their naivety? Innocent remarks byguilty of them.