6. “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”

This might sound like something good at first glance. You don’t want your grandkids to say bad things to other people. It might sound like trying to teach them to speak kindly about other people and to them. This is beautiful, and indeed, you should teach them to do that, but this phrase gets lost in translation too often.

Even if you think this is good advice, it might not do a service to your grandchildren and might make them understand that they should never express their opinions. This can lead to a lot of problems later on.

It can make them unauthentic and also cause them to have difficulty telling people what they don’t like. It can also put kids at risk by making them reluctant to discuss sensitive issues that could require adult intervention.

These are probably the most important things that you should never tell your grandchildren. If you know about more of them, please don’t hesitate to tell us about them in the comments section.

We know that grandparenting is not easy, and this is why we think that it is important for people to share the things that they know best. So, did you find this helpful?

If you want to learn more about parenting, this book might be a good start: Unconditional Love: A Guide to Navigating the Joys and Challenges of Being a Grandparent Today

You should also read: 9 Reasons Your Grandkids Avoid You Now