Probably a mistake to be honest with my nephew
By Rose nylon
@Spatula11 (66)
United States
October 5, 2025 8:51pm CST
My nephew, Jack, is 8. I recently made the mistake of trying to be completely honest about life. I told him "there are some things you won't be able to do no matter how hard you try, some things you will be able to do right away, and some things you will succeed at but fail many times before it works. It'slife, no one can do everything" that wasn't how I meant it. But it would be worse to say "nothing is impossible, you can do anything" and make him sad when he fails, I'm afraid he would think "if nothing is impossible and I can't do it then there is something wrong with me" if he knows that then he will not be disappointed because it's not just him, and there are things he will succeed at. My point was don't take failure hard. Failing isn't bad. It doesn't mean you are a failure. And I was trying to tell him that some things take a long time but it doesn't mean it will never work, it just means it will take longer.
Of course it came off as "you are a failure"
5 people like this
4 responses
@Spatula11 (66)
• United States
10 Oct
What would have happened if I had told him he can do anything at all and later he has a goal he can't achieve? Like, say a girl wants to be a singer, her voice is awful, but she was told all she needs to do is try and believe in herself? It might work, she might succeed. But odds are it won't. Would she feel better or worse failing despite being told she can do it vs knowing that everyone fails at things, there are other things out there she can do?
@porwest (109244)
• United States
6 Oct
These are the kinds of life lessons more kids need more than anything. It's reality. Life has trial and error, good times and bad ones, victories and defeats, it just is what it is.
The more we understand how life really works, and where we actually fit in it, the better as people we become.
1 person likes this
@porwest (109244)
• United States
12 Oct
@Spatula11 That's BS, of course. Some things are not accomplishable no matter how hard one tries. It's good to make the effort. But it's silly to expect to always succeed. We need failures in life to help us grow and we need to understand we will sometimes fail to be able to deal with them and be better at what we can accomplish.
@Spatula11 (66)
• United States
10 Oct
According to my mom I should be telling him nothing is impossible he can accomplish anything if he tries
1 person likes this
@mytunemagic (162)
•
6 Oct
I don't get it.. What you said is as it should be.. Did he react? argue with you about something or what made you feel this way?
@Spatula11 (66)
• United States
10 Oct
No my mom did. He was ok with it, he understood that it means not everything will work out but there are also many things that will. My mom said it's abusive.
1 person likes this
