I was not aware of my tone of voice. Then it hit. Children are feeling oriented long before they begin to think for themselves. I knew exactly what I was doing. I needed to stop what I was doing.
Most parents do a great job.
But a lot of parents can make the same mistakes repeatedly and that can undo their best efforts as parents. And for reasons like that, raising children to become cooperative and generous is far more difficult than raising a child to become defiant. In fact, knowing how we could unknowingly create a defiant attitude in a child is one way to insure that children remain cooperative and generous as they grow up. Young children are focused primarily on their needs and what they want. Between the age of 6 and 9, many children begin to consider the needs and feelings of others.