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Teaching Kids to be Wrong:

One of the most overlooked things that parents must teach their children is how to be wrong. Just as you should teach your children how to be a good sport, and not to be sore losers, you have to teach them the same points about everyday life.

Everyone will be wrong at some point or another, and the only way to teach your child how to gracefully do this is by example. You don't want your child to grow up to be one of those people who, no matter how wrong they are, will never admit that they might be mistaken. You also don't want your child to be one of those people who likes to rub it in another's face if they were wrong. Neither of these are very good characteristics in a person.

To lead them by example, you must always be willing to admit when you are wrong, even to your child. If you tell your child something, and then find out you were wrong, you should admit it even if the child doesn't know you were wrong.
You shouldn't dwell on it or make a big deal out of it; you should simply tell them that it looks like you were wrong. If you want, you can explain why you thought what you did, and what it was that may have changed that made you wrong, but you shouldn't make excuses. If you make excuses, it shows your child that there is something to be ashamed of in being wrong.

If your child makes a big deal out of the fact that you were wrong, you should remind them that you don't do that to them when they are wrong, but if they want to continue, you would be happy to do the same to them the next time they are wrong. This usually works after a couple of times, but kids tend to think it is a big deal when their parents have been proven wrong (because we usually aren't), and so this may not work.

Another thing you must do is when your child is wrong about something that they felt very strongly they were correct about. This is especially important when the child and parent have argued about something, and the child is proven wrong. Don't make a big deal out of it, or make them feel bad for being incorrect.

Instead, you can simply remind them that you promised you knew what you were talking about, and move on. If they make up excuses and try to act like somehow they really weren't wrong, you should get them to admit that they were.
A very important part of being a well-rounded adult is having the ability to admit your mistakes, so you want to teach your child early how to be able to do this and still keep their pride.

After a few times of admitting that they were wrong and seeing that no one makes fun of them, or makes a big deal out of it, they will be able to admit the truth more readily in the future. And, remember that this works even better if they see their parents do the same thing.



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