7 ways parents harm their children without even realizing it

3. The Comparison Trap.

In an attempt to encourage or correct our children, we might point out the example of another child (often a sibling) as a reference point. While this is usually a harmless attempt to bring context to the situation, most children won’t see past the comparison. This can subconsciously train children not to be the best they can be, but rather to find a way to simply “seem better” than their peers and siblings.

#4 is a tempting way to correct past mistakes, but it actually creates more new problems…