Building Confidence

Have you ever heard parents make such comments as these to their children:

"Boy, are you dumb!"

"Can't you do anything right?"

"Why are you such a pack rat?"

"Stop being such a loudmouth!"

If you flinched when you read the above comments, you probably sensed how negative, harsh, and uncompassionate they are. What do such comments communicate? Concern? Patience? Gentleness? Love? Or do they show disrespect, insensitivity, or dislike?

We are told that we should not negatively label our children. But when we use such language, we do more than give a hostile label. We show we do not really care about them. How can we avoid using such labels? We must repent of unloving feelings and show compassion and patience. It may be that our task is not as much to build confidence in our children as it is to quit stealing it from them.