Kids are the future. One day, we’ll all be old and gray while our generation’s children or grandchildren are the CEOs, politicians, doctors, scientists and educators making the world go round. Every loving parent works hard to ensure that their kids grow up to be productive, empathetic and well-adjusted individuals, but despite our best intentions, sometimes dangerous ideas find a way to permeate these young minds.
Last week, Reddit user Savings-Actuator-571 started a conversation by posing the question, “What harmful ideas are being taught to children?” And thousands of people weighed in with ideas they heard as kids or have observed being taught to other children. Whether these lessons are taught intentionally to protect kids or learned through society and media, it’s important that adults are aware of what ideas are being taught so we can either shut down these messages or steer children in the right direction.
Below, you’ll find a list of some of these harmful ideas being sold to kids, so you can know what to look out for or what ideas to avoid accidentally passing on yourself. Be sure to upvote the responses you particularly resonate with, and then let us know in the comments what other harmful messages you’ve seen taught to children. Then if you’re interested in reading Bored Panda’s last article on the same topic, you can find it right here.
#1
“Anyone in this classroom able to play piano?” An elementary school teacher asks.
Nobody raise a hand until this one little girl doubtfully raise her hand.
“Really? You can play piano? Please show us how you play.”
With a heart pounding so hard like it’s never before, the little girl plays a simple classic song. Definitely not perfect; missed notes here and there but she keeps going. After she finished playing, the teacher says “What was that? It’s not a real song. Anyone else able to play piano?” Everybody laugh. Later, the little girl begging her parents to let her quit her piano lessons.
It happens to me when I was about 8 years old.
If people are wondering why kids are mean and bully, the answer is: adults taught them to be.
Image credits: Big-Bell6898
#2
Your parents are always right.
Image credits: holaxamigo
#3
I used to work at a movie theater back in the day and I’ll never forget witnessing a kid pick up their trash on their way out like a responsible person and their mother instructing them to put it back down because it is not their responsibility. Probably way more harmful things being taught to kids, but the story just came back to my mind.
Image credits: mrada34
#4
“Boys don’t cry!”
Image credits: VeryCreativeSwede
#5
That questioning authority is a bad thing.
Image credits: Spluff5
#6
That if someone teases/bullies you, that person may like you. Basically teaching kids at a young age that it’s ‘ok’ when someone is being mean and rude to you.
Image credits: ohmystelena
#7
Finish everything on your plate!
Image credits: 88TacocaT88
#8
Not specifically taught, but moreso an effect of how we teach kids.
Smart and gifted kids in school aren’t challenged enough. Those that do very well, even in a specific subject instead of overall, aren’t taught proper work ethic because they excel already and don’t need to work as hard. Since they aren’t challenged early, they don’t learn how to work when challenged, and they end up doing poorly in school later in life. I know it’s hard to do, but we really need to be aware that we’re setting kids up to fail when we don’t properly challenge them.
Image credits: Damurph01
#9
That EVERYONE should go to college. Such BS.
This is the myth that school districts use to justify the near total elimination of vocation programs.
Image credits: Edward_the_Dog
#10
that crying is bad. parents don’t learn to regulate their own emotions and expect their kids to do it. then they start suppressing crying. and then they grow to be adults with zero emotional regulation. it’s a cycle.
Image credits: lonelysof
#11
Teaching them they’re responsible for how other people feel “mommy is so sad you won’t hug her” child then feels obligated to hug her to make her feel better. Think about what this means as an adult…
Image credits: Cellar_door_1
#12
That saying you’re sorry is showing weakness.
Image credits: jdith123
#13
They don’t have an opinion. I’m breaking generational curses by simply listening to my kids.
Image credits: LovableLayla
#14
External validation.
Constantly chasing likes and followers. The unbearable weight of keeping up appearances. Lives and bodies that aren’t perfect seem to have no value.
Image credits: MzFrazzle
#15
Staying quiet means good behavior
Image credits: earthycarl
#16
I have one.
This is very common in my country. You know kids run a lot, and they fall a lot. Most of the time (luckily!) they do not get hurt seriously. Sometimes, they simply are just fine. But they cry regardless. I was one of those kids.
Whenever that happen, parents would rush to their kids, and they slap on the ground (or whatever object near by) saying “Punish the ground for hurting my baby!”. Now, that may sound sweet if you are that kid, but gradually it could teach the kid something so dangerous: When you fall, it is something else (or someone else)’s fault. Kids will grow up blaming everything around them for their failures, before questioning themselves.
I remembered clearly this time when I just fell off the ground while playing, cried my lung out, and my whole family was in a mess. Especially my dad. He was so worried, checking my (totally pain-free) body for any wound, and kept asking “What made you fall? Was it a rock? Or was it your friend? Did she push you?”
Dad – I wanted to say – I really just fell off myself.
Image credits: Own-Text7602
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