a memo from your child

~Author Unknown~

1. Don’t spoil me. I know quit well that I ought not have all that I ask for, I’m only testing you.

2. Don’t be afraid to be firm with me, I prefer it. It makes me feel more secure.

3. Don’t let me form bad habits, I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

4. Don’t make me feel smaller than I am, It only makes me behave stupidly big.

5. Don’t correct me in front of people if you can help it.

6. Don’t make me feel that my mistakes are sins, it upsets my set of values.

7. Don’t be upset when I say “I hate you”, it’s not you I hate, but your power to hinder.

8. Don’t protect me from consequences, I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

9. Don’t nag, if you do I will need to protect myself by appearing deaf.

10. Don’t make rash promises, remember I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

11. Don’t tax my honesty too much, I am easily frightened into telling lies.

12. Don’t be inconsistent, that completely confuses me and makes me lose faith in you.

13. Don’t tell me my fears are silly, they are terribly real to me and you can do much to reassure me if you try to understand.

14. Don’t ever suggest that you are perfect or infallible. It gives me to great a shock when I discover that you are neither.

15. Don’t forget that I can’t thrive without lots of love and understanding, but I don’t need to tell you that, do I?