04. “Why can’t you be more like your sibling?”
Comparing kids is harmful, plain and simple. When a mom holds up one child as the “good one,” it pits siblings against each other and creates a lifelong sense of inadequacy. It sends the message that who you are isn’t enough. Instead of feeling loved for being yourself, you end up chasing someone else’s version of success. Even as an adult, that comparison can live in the back of your mind. Healthy parenting lifts you up—it doesn’t make you compete for affection.