Generally, parents tend to mean, however, there are times when adhering strictly to parents' advice
could be detrimental. For example, when it comes to your dreams and
goals as a person, a parent should usually be supportive. Sometimes,
well-meaning parents discourage their children from pursuing their
dreams, by transferring their own fears onto their son or daughter.
Career Advice
The
world is a different place than it was when your parents were children
or even young adults. Many parents remain out of touch with the real
world when it comes to the working world. Unless you know them to be on
the cutting edge of business, it is a good idea to take their career
advice with a grain of salt. The world has become more diverse over
time and many new, unconventional careers have opened up as a result.
Failure at a job is no longer as traumatic as it once was. This is
because it is rare that a person stays in the same job all of her life
or working for the same company.
Engaging in Destructive Behavior
When
parents engage in destructive behavior, such as bad habits like
smoking, drinking or taking drugs, it is a good idea to evaluate how
accurate the information they give you is. People who choose to engage
in destructive behavior patterns that affect their health often make
other poor decisions. Ingesting toxic substances can also alter
consciousness on chemical levels and have long term affects that cause
judgment inadequacies.
Consider the Source
If you
routinely get information from your parents that you know to be false
or inaccurate, always fact check the information that is given to you.
Don't just agree with it because it is coming from someone you care
about. People need to be evaluated for how accurate their information
is, rather than just how you feel about them. You wouldn't take advice
from someone whom you knew dispensed unqualified information regularly,
and if your parents are doing that, it should be no different.
Old, Outdated Information
Parents
often impart information that is old, outdated and based upon no
factual evidence. Sometimes it is based on information that they
received from an unverifiable source or one of their older relatives.
While it can be well-meaning, listening to such advice can actually be
harmful. Often, parents don't take the time to gather all of the facts
necessary before they try to insinuate their opinions into yours.
Emotional Abuse
Many
children live in emotionally unstable and abusive homes throughout
their lives which continues into adulthood. Be wary of "advice" which
involves being shouted at, sworn at or spoken to in an unfriendly or
disrespectful way. We often overlook this when dealing with family
members. Long term abuse is sometimes learned to be tolerated and
accepted. Using threats, sarcasm and making fun of you in any way, from
how you look to how you act, is not healthy and should be ignored.
Limit your involvement with parents who behave this way and if
necessary, disconnect from them entirely.
When to Ignore Your Parents' Advice
