5 Phrases to Always Say to Kids According to 70 Parents With Highly Successful Adult Kids

Words are powerful. What parents say to their children can either encourage them and boost their confidence, or it can harm them by damaging their self-esteem and holding them back in life.

So, what magic words do parents need to tell their children?

Margot Machol Bisnow, author of "Raising an Entrepreneur," talked to 70 parents who have raised highly successful adults and asked them how they were able to help their kids reach their dreams.

The group she interviewed was highly diverse in race, religion, socioeconomic brackets, and education. Yet, to her surprise, all these parents gave their children the same messages every day.

5 Phrases To Always Tell Your Kids

According to Bisnow, some phrases were out of tough love, and some were made from positive wisdom.

Gathering her data, she came up with the five topmost phrases that 70 parents always tell their children as they were growing up. She shared this in an article she wrote for CNBC.

1. I can't do everything for you.

These parents set clear expectations and let their kids know they trust them to take responsibility. More so, these parents are not afraid to allow natural consequences to occur. If their children failed a test because they did not study, they took this circumstance as an opportunity to reflect and learn from their actions.

2. Do your best and be kind.

In researching for her book, she found that all entrepreneurs she met learned the importance of kindness while they were young.

Blake Mycoskie, the founder of TOMS, gave away over 95 million pairs of shoes in 2006 through its one-for-one business model. With a pair of shoes purchased, a pair will be donated. Mycoskie's mother told Bisnow that compassion was a "family policy." The children were taught how to help the unfortunate since they were just kids.

3. If something doesn't work out, don't be sad. It may turn out to be a good thing later on.

Parents taught their kids to win and lose gracefully, that winning and losing is part of the journey. They were also taught not to obsess over their mistakes. Instead, learn from it, pivot, and try another approach.

Jonathan Neman of Sweetgreen, which now has 200 locations in the country, recalled how his father always supported him even if his ideas were not good. He has learned resilience from his father - to try and try again.

4. What's the best and worst thing that happened today?

Parents would always know the importance of an open, honest conversation with their kids. Thus, they make sure to discuss what happened in a day. They make sure that there will be great conversations over dinner. They ask their children about the best and the worst of their day and remind them that the dinner table is a safe place to speak.

Read Also: Parenting With Love: Raising Caring And Kind-Hearted Kids

'I love you'

The last, but definitely not the least, phrase parents should always tell their children is this:

5. I love you.

Every successful entrepreneur Bisnow has interviewed knows how much their parents love them, believe in them, and are there for them. They know because it was spoken to them all the time, summarized in three words - I love you.

Alexis Jones, founder of I Am That Girl, a community that believes in the importance of every girl standing for each other, shared how her mother has the expectation of unconditional love in their family. They were constantly reminded that each of them has each other's back, making them feel that nothing is impossible when they are together and with each other's support. They know nothing is impossible because they are loved unconditionally.

Related Article: How Parent Involvement Leads to Academic Writing Success of a Child