1. Stop teaching children that there is only one person who is out there that is meant to be with them.
We tend to fall into the trap of going by one of the lessons we see in nearly every single Disney movie. This lesson is that one day we need to find the "right one" out there for us in order to be truly happy. However, in life there can be so many "right one's" for us and we don't always need someone to make us happy. There's going to be heartbreaks and bad relationships, maybe several, all of which we think are "the one" and this is what we need to tell kids.
2. Stop teaching children that there are lines they cannot cross on account of gender.
Parents often prepare for and raise their children by buying toys, clothing, etc.. that aren't typically gender neutral. While many parents are open minded enough to let their kids wear any color they want or to allow their kids to play with whatever toy they want, not all parents are. If we take a step back and allow kids to grow and develop their own sense of style and interests, it'll help them become more confident with who they are at an early age.
3. Stop teaching children that logic and book smart is more important than creativity.
In public education, being book smart is praised much more often than being creative. Schools tend to push children to be better at memorizing information for a test to get a good number result, rather than push them to succeed in real life situations or to think on their own.
4. Stop teaching children that they need to find love in order to settle down and be happy.
How many times have we heard discussions at family gatherings asking questions about dating, praising those who are in relationships, and subtly shaming those who are not? These impressions on children show them that in order to gain approval, they need someone. It also gives the impression that they won't be as successful on their own, which is so far from true.
5. Stop teaching children that other people's happiness and approval is more important than their own.
We often guide children to behave in ways that will most likely lead to them getting accepted by the majority of people, even if that means preventing them from being their true selves. This instills a long-term habit in them of hiding things about themselves because they feel ashamed.
6. Stop teaching children that it’s okay to disrespect their body.
It may not seem as if children are always listening, but truly, they are. They hear and listen to everything we say as they grow up. They're curious and love to mimic behaviors of those they look up to. If they see or hear how we talk about our bodies, that is what instills a bit of self-hatred in them, and they fall into the same traps we do, but even earlier.
7. Stop teaching children that they are entitled in school.
If you are the type of parent who calls the teacher to yell at them when your child receives a bad grade, you're doing it wrong. While yes, bad teachers do exist and there could be other factors making it difficult for your child to learn, the first step is to have a talk with your child, NOT to call the teacher to blame them.
8. Stop teaching your children that it's okay to sit on their technology all day.
The worst thing we can do when taking care of children in today's society, is to buy them every touchscreen device that gets released for them to play with instead of actual toys or having them go outside. We need to provide kids with the means to be able to think on their own and express their creativity.
9. Stop teaching your children that drinking and doing drugs is strictly forbidden.
The biggest mistake that parents as well as schools make is telling children to flat out never do something. Reverse psychology makes children curious and rebellious, which is why so many children start drinking and using drugs younger and younger as time moves forward. If we want to solve this problem, we need to present all of the safety precautions, procedures if things go wrong, and the safest ways to go about these things while in no way saying it is okay to use them. This will get the point across that it is not okay to use these drugs, but however if they are to use them, they will know how to do so safely or what to do if things go wrong.
10. Stop teaching your children that their only purpose in school is to get into a good college.
This last one is a big and important one. Today's public education system involves so much teaching just for getting good results. Schools today tend to teach for the teats. The students win by getting good marks, and the teachers win by looking good when their students do well on paper. While this is a win-win situation, these children aren't truly learning as much because they are temporarily memorizing information for the lone purpose of test taking.
