Ways we offend our children ⋆ Breaking Through Growth Traps

Adapted from Gary Smalley’s Book “The Key to your Child’s Heart”

You can take this list with three perspectives:

For you and your parents
If you are a parent – then what do you do to your child(ren)
Lastly, consider this from the other parent of your child(ren)

Ways we Offend our Children

Save

1. Feeling unnoticed and unappreciated
2. Lacking interest in things that are special to me
3. Breaking promises
4. Criticizing unjustly
5. Allowing my brothers or sisters to put me down
6. Misunderstanding my motives
7. Speaking carelessly
8. Punishing me for something for which I had already been punished
9. Telling me that my opinions don’t really matter
10. Giving me the feeling that they never make mistakes
11. Not being gentle when pointing out my weaknesses or blind spots
12. Lecturing me and not understanding that all I need is some support
13. Never saying “I love you”
14. Not spending time alone with me
15. Being insensitive and rough
16. Being thoughtless
17. Never saying “thank you”
18. Speaking harsh words
19. Being inconsistent
20. Being taken for granted
21. Being told how to do something that I was doing on my own
22. Nagging at me
23. Bossing me
24. Being ignored
25. Not being considered a thinking and feeling person
26. Being too busy to care for me
27. Being too busy to listen to what I have to say
28. Dismissing my needs as unimportant, their needs are
29. more important
30. Bringing up mistakes from the past to deal with
31. Teasing excessively
32. Not noticing my accomplishments
33. Making tactless comments
34. Liking me only for my physical looks or abilities, not for who I really am
35. Not being praised, complimented or appreciated
36. Being built up, then let down
37. Getting my hopes up to do something, then not follow through
38. Being corrected without being reminded that I’m loved
39. Being disciplined in harshness and anger
40. Being corrected or disciplined in front of others
41. Not reasoning with me and never giving me an explanation as to why I’m being punished
42. Misusing brute force
43. Reacting to me in the opposite way I think a Christian should treat others or be treated
44. Raising their voice
45. Not being interested in who I am
46. Cutting down something I am doing or someone I am with like I’m dumb or stupid
47. Using foul language when they are upset with me
48. Being impatient, which often comes across as rude
49. Never being shown proper physical affection