There are tons of words we should never use on a child but since I don’t want this post to be lengthy, I’ll just list eight. We adults often look down on children. We believe since they’re small we can say things to them without sieving through. Well, children are humans too, they’ve got feelings and also get hurt. I’ll be listing 8 words I’ve heard people say which ought to have never been said.
- YOU’RE NOT SMART – You expect a child to answer a question in a particular way or act someway and when you don’t get the desired answer or action you then by default shout ” Nawa ooo, you’re not smart at all”. This is very bad and shouldn’t be said to a child.
- YOU’RE BIG FOR NOTHING – This is also mostly said when the scenario in point one plays out. Such words not only hurt the child’s feeling that moment but in most cases for a lifetime.
- YOU’RE WICKED – This often comes out as a reflex statement. A child did something unbelievable that shocked you and you just blurt out that statement “You’re wicked”. There’s no justifiable reason why you should call a child wicked. Know this and it becomes easy to leave the bad habit.
- WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE A LAWYER, WHY CAN’T YOU BE A DOCTOR – I know sometimes when we use this statement we actually mean it in a good way but still it’s a wrong thing to say. We shouldn’t transfer our expectations to a child and downgrade their stand. You can offer guidance to the child but down outrightly downgrade their stand. I asked a student of mine what she wanted to become in future and she said a pepper seller. The whole class bursted into laughter but I was quick to stop them and correct them. I however told the girl that pepper selling is good, she could also have a farm, package her pepper and export it to other countries. We should learn to respect a child’s choice and offer guidance where needed.
- KELLY IS BETTER THAN YOU – Comparing children is not a commendable act. Every child is different and that’s what makes them special. If a child did wrong, the best thing to do is correct the child but desist from comparing that child to another child. I’m pretty sure you don’t enjoy been compared to.
- YOU WERE NOT TRAINED WELL – Honestly at what point did we become detectors 😂. This isn’t a good thing to say. Just correct the child. There’s really no need making reference to whether or not the child was trained.
- HOW DOES IT RELATE TO WHAT I ASKED – Like did we just grow up and forget we were once children because sometimes I wonder why Guineas book of world records didn’t appreciate us for been the most perfect child. When a child gives a wrong answer to a question please don’t shut the child or reply in a rude and dominating way. When this happens in my class, I find a way to sync the answer and the question and if that fails I just tell the child that the answer given is the answer to a question I haven’t asked yet.
- YOU’RE A LIER/THIEF – There are several civil ways to resolve an issue involving theft or lies in the classroom but that shouldn’t involve calling out the child and labelling him/her a thief and a lier.
These are few word I’ve heard teachers and parents use on children.
What other word have you heard and believe it shouldn’t have been said? Let’s talk in the comment section.
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