Very often (maybe even more than one would expect) we hear some expressions on the street that parents say to their children, such as "you are very bad", "you are crying all day" or "you are very capricious".
Most likely they do not say with the intention of offending them or anything like that, but repeating them several times throughout the child's life can cause the child to end up carrying out what is known as self-fulfilling prophecy.
Today we will talk about this curious phenomenon that affects both parents and children, but that can play a very important role in the child's development.
What is self-fulfilling prophecy?
When referring to the term self-fulfilling prophecy In our children, we talk about confirming the expectations we have for him. That is to say: if we affirm (or affirm) that our son is impolite, the child will end up believing that this is his character and, before the rest of the people around him, he should behave that way.
This happens in our day to day many times, despite the fact that our son only disobeys in a specific situation or only cry on a couple of specific occasions. Y what we achieve with it is that our son changes his way of being in such a way that he confirms what we say.
How does it influence our children?
We must start from the basis that the self-fulfilling prophecy, by itself, it is neither good nor bad; This will be determined by how parents react to their children's behaviors.
If we think that our son is screaming and fussing all day, he will say that we are right ("I think what they tell me because they are my parents"); If the rest of the world says that I cannot be calm for five minutes, it will be true ("if everyone tells me, I will have to believe it ...").
Seen from the opposite side, if we think that our son is very polite and responsible, and the people who live with him also tell him every day, what do you think this child will believe and how he will react to the world?
We must be very careful with this as it can affect, in a positive or a negative way, how it will react in your life and how it will develop. We must not forget that what we think of our children may become reality.
What is the role of parents?
No one doubts that parents must be an example of behavior. But it is also important to know that, if we see our children positively, it will be easier for them to think the same about them.
This means that if we see our son as the best of all children, it is important to let him know, since the one we tell him will make him enjoy our company (and also himself) and will have very positive effects on his self-esteem .
Conclusion
It is well known that children's self-esteem begins to develop during childhood, and we as parents must contribute to its development in the most appropriate way possible.
If we assume that the things he does well should not be reinforced and, nevertheless, those that he does badly, we are indicating them all day, we are making a serious mistake, since we are returning an image that may not be real.
We must find a balance between both parties, and avoid labeling children because what we say about our children can come true, Both as for well and for worse.
