Literature
Adult Phrases That Need To Go
Adult Phrases That Need To Go
This is a list of phrases commonly used by adults to control, silence or gaslight children. Tactics that are often framed as harmless, normal, or even "good parenting". They're not.
"Because I said so."
The classic phrase "Because I said so" does not teach children anything.
All it does is one of two things—often both:
Trains submission.
Breeds rebellion.
Some children comply—and eventually stop questioning, stop thinking, and wait to be told what to do. This teaches uncritical thinking, making them vulnerable to exploitation and leaving them helpless the moment there's no one around to give them orders.
Other children rebel. Because if you don't give them a why, they assume there isn't one. They think you're just bossing them around because you can—and they know that's wrong.
You'll either end up with a child who has no independent thought, or a meticulous rulebreaker who pathologically disobeys all important safeguards. Both destroy the