We rarely babble as much unfiltered nonsense as with our offspring. From "I count to three" to "I would never have allowed myself that before" there is quite a bit of half-baked bullshit. It is very energy-efficient to simply blow on what your parents have already put in your ear. They got the crap from their parents and so on and so on. Wisdom from the "Sayings Calendar" category is also particularly popular. There is also a lot of bullshit, according to "Psychology today" author and psychologist Mike Brooks, a wisdom is particularly hair-raising.
Always the best
According to Mike Brooks, the worst slogan that children and young people can smash: "Do your best". And always gladly. Anyone who thinks more carefully about what he is actually advising his children to do could blush a little with shame. Should you really always do your best? Is it really a good idea? Where do you end up if you actually always do that? And above all: do we ask that of ourselves?
Why it is pointless to always do your best
In one example, he explains why the advice is not practical. If he tried to always be the best father, the best husband, the best blogger, athlete, neighbor and psychologist, he would quickly reach a point where the intentions would be mutually exclusive. Always doing his best in everything is "an impossible thing," he writes. Also, it does not lead to the goal that you actually want for your child, namely a happy life.
The good alternative
Of course, Mike Brooks doesn't leave readers without an alternative. What advice does he give his children in terms of work ethic?
"Don't always work hard, but smart"! "
This advice, too, may not always be exactly the yellow of the egg, he writes, "but it comes closer to what we REALLY want for our children and also to what we strive for ourselves." He's right, Mike. Next time we will express ourselves better.