One grandmother, believing her grandson lacked "metal" in his destiny, immediately pulled off her gold ring and stuffed it into the child's mouth. The three-month-old swallowed it whole, nearly losing his life.Following "custom," she bathed the baby with money. The child developed severe skin allergies, covered in bright red bumps, and cried incessantly. Even then, the grandmother saw nothing wrong with her actions.Elders constantly hope children eat heartily, habitually feeding them nonstop—even chasing after them to feed.
When children refuse food, elders resort to threats and bribes: offering snacks, warning "If you don't eat, I'll call the police to take you away," or luring them with cartoons... Yet the more they force-feed, the more children resist eating, developing bad habits like snacking and watching TV during meals.
3. Chasing Children to Feed Them
At kindergarten or playgrounds, when children are engrossed in play, elders sneak fruit into their mouths when they're distracted. From the elders' perspective: only then will children not resist easily—one piece slipped in, one piece eaten. One piece counts as one piece.
Is this approach correct? In reality, this seemingly minor action severely disrupts a child's developing attention span.Why do some children struggle with attention in school? It often stems from these cumulative "interruptions" during their early years. 4. Dressing children too warmly Elderly people fear the cold, so they instinctively bundle children up. Children possess pure yang energy and aren't naturally cold-sensitive, unless born with a constitutional weakness.The result? When children move around, they sweat easily. As sweat cools, the constant shift between hot and cold makes them more susceptible to illness. 5. Encouraging children to lie When the daughter had a sweet taste on her lips, her mother asked, "Did you eat candy?" She thought for a moment and said, "Yes." Grandpa immediately jumped in, saying, "You traitor! I told you not to tell your mom, yet you told her anyway."
The mother, knowing better than to clash with the elders, suppressed her frustration and gently reminded her child: "Always be honest with Mommy. If you ate it, just say so. You know I don't forbid you from having sweets, right?"
The next day, after eating candy again, the child hesitated when asked. After a moment's thought, she stammered, "Did I eat it or not?" She didn't know how to answer.
On one hand, the child feared Grandpa would call her a traitor; on the other, she dreaded making her mother worry. See, children are natural diplomats. That's why many parents notice how adept their kids are at reading the room. They observe what Grandma and Grandpa permit. If Mom and Dad forbid something, they won't approach them—they'll go straight to Grandma and Grandpa instead.
6. Restricting a Child's Exploration
Grandparents often tell children, "Slow down, don't fall." After age one and a half, it's common for grandparents to lose sight of their grandchild in a flash if they're not careful. So they think, "I'll just carry him." What happens when you carry a child too often? Once a child learns to walk, they may refuse to walk and always want to be carried.Children also develop a fear of taking risks, thinking, "There's danger ahead—better stay close to Grandma." This easily fosters timid children.
7. Hearing Loss in Elders
Some elders with declining hearing tend to speak too loudly to children and habitually turn up the TV volume excessively. Over time, this can damage children's hearing.
8. Indulging snack cravings
When children cry or fuss, they're given candy, soda, or snacks without restraint. Grandparents often lack awareness of food additives, the health risks of snacks, or how additives can harm children's brains.
9. Doing things "for" the child
Mom asks: "Sweetie, where did you play today?"
Grandma immediately interjects: "We went to the little park today."
Mom remains silent and asks: "Which friends did you see today?"
Grandma answers: "We saw so-and-so."
Another example: Before meals, children often want to help carry bowls for Mom. Elders worry the bowls might break, so they usually snatch them away before the child can lift them.
These behaviors actually reduce the child's opportunities to learn independently, impacting both language development and motor coordination skills.
10. Dressing the Child for Them
Many children aged three or four still don't know how to tie their shoelaces or dress themselves.Elders argue that children are too young and adults should assist, or that improperly dressed children will embarrass parents by drawing ridicule. However, learning to dress involves a process of trial and error. Through repeated mistakes, children gradually correct themselves. Constantly dressing them prevents children from making mistakes or learning from them, naturally hindering their development.
11. Elderly Caregivers Lacking Vitality
In major cities today, many families have elderly caregivers who are quite advanced in age. This is because young people in urban areas are marrying and having children later and later, and once employed, they spend less time with their children. These less energetic elders tend to have less physical contact with the children they care for, which can easily lead to a lack of security in the child. Skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant is fundamental to establishing a baby's sense of security.
Such children often grow up reluctant to initiate communication, unsure how to interact with others. They tend to become introverted, and in some cases, depressed.
12. Blaming the Table When a Child Falls
When a child bumps into a table and falls, the elderly person quickly picks up the crying child, saying, "Hit it! The table is naughty for bumping into baby. Hit it..." Is this parenting or harming the child?Such teaching blurs right and wrong for children. As they grow, they often blame external circumstances or others for their mistakes. These children struggle with self-reflection and correction, ultimately becoming self-deceiving.The result? The child happily eats up or goes to bed, only for the grandparents to deliberately forget their promise or simply say, "We'll buy you candy next time," or "We'll take you to the park next time." Children have self-respect too. Being deceived repeatedly fosters a habit of suspicion, and gradually, they learn to deceive others as well.