Have you ever known a parent, or perhaps you are this type of parent, who constantly makes excuses for their child? I know I have been guilty of doing this at times.
Sometimes it’s the old, “He’s just tired” or “She doesn’t feel well” kind of excuses. But other times it’s someone else’s fault and their child is never to blame.
I can’t tell you the number of news stories I have seen where parents have excused, justified or attempted to blame someone else when their child has done something wrong. A fight at school or on the bus, a drinking party or even something as tragic as being involved in a drunken driving accident…many times there are parents standing behind their child, making excuses.
No parent likes to think their child would knowingly, willfully do something wrong. But the reality is that we all mess up sometimes and the worst thing that we can do is try to excuse our child’s behavior.
Even if it is true that our child is tired, sick or whatever, it can’t be used as a reason or a justification for making a wrong choice. If we instill that in our children while they are young, they will grow up thinking that they can do what they want.
Once they become teenagers, if this has been the way they have been parented, it is going to make your struggles that much more difficult.
Don’t make excuses for your kids. There needs to a lesson learned from the things they do wrong. There sometimes needs to be discipline or some form of punishment. It is one of the best ways we can deter our children from making future wrong choices.
I know the next time I am ready to excuse my child’s behavior, I am going to think twice about that. Ask yourself, will excusing my child’s behavior be helpful or hurtful to them in the long
run?
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