Have you ever met someone who is so outspokenly confident in what they are saying that they will never admit that they are wrong?
…and then even when you point out indisputable evidence that can only prove that what they have said is inaccurate, they come up with some further and usually outlandish concept of how they are still right in saying what they said?
…and then they find some reason, also often farfetched, to why they could have possibly misspoken – even to the point of attempting to deceive you about the realities that led to them speaking in the first place?
…and it was apparent to you that they were simply wrong from the get-go, wasn’t it?
Yeah, it’s like that for your kids too.
For me, it’s possible to see an egotistical co-worker behave this way and dislike that aspect of his personality, but simply chalk it up to his quirks and move past his perceived inability to be wrong. But what if that guy is your dad? (Was that guy your dad? Then you may already have some insight into this… or perhaps more fitting – are you that dad?)
If your children see a stubborn “right-at-all-costs” streak in you, yes, they will be able to move past it, but you will teach your children either to do the exact same thing themselves, or they will swing to the opposite side of the equation and despise people for doing it and do everything in their power to avoid this themselves.
Do you admit when you are wrong?
Admitting when you are wrong not only gives your children permission to be wrong themselves, but it also teaches them how to be honest when they are!