Shame OFF you...

Well I have decided to blog again... SO we'll see how it goes! I have so many thoughts and ideas that I want to share and this seems to be the best way to do so!

I am not a parent and I would never tell any parent how to do anything because I have never been in their shoes but there is one thing that I do feel very strongly about... Saying "shame on you" or "you should be ashamed of yourself"! STOP! DON'T SAY IT!!!!

This is for anyone who is ever in any sort of position of authority! There is a generation that is walking around blind with shame. They walk with their heads down and are terrified to let anyone let know that they have ever messed up! This shame prevents them from seeking comfort in parents and trusted authority figures therefor making it uncomfortable and awkward IF they do! And let's face it - we all avoid awkwardness and discomfort if it is at all possible.

Now...
           Think back...

When you were young and did something that your parents did not approve of... Unless you were a super child you probably tried to hide something big or small at one point or another.

From a young age you heard " Shame on you for doing that!" or "You should be ashamed of yourself!" Pick a version and we all heard it at some point or another and as soon as it left whomever's mouth you close to instantly felt guilty. I believe that this is because when you say any version of those words or imply that shame is what a child should be feeling you are in a sense physically placing shame onto them, a feeling that no deserves to feel regardless of their actions. Didn't Jesus die on the cross so that we could be free from all of that?

I believe that it is important to teach children to take responsibility for and feel the weight and even to see the affects of their actions; and how they are taught is up to their parents. But how can a parent try and teach a child about the love and mercy of Jesus then turn around and tell them that they should be ashamed?

This is just one of those things that hits a nerve with me.