I tell my three-year-old all the ways she could die… people say I’m making her scared of the world but she should be
A FIRST-TIME mum has revealed that she regularly tells her daughter the various ways she could die when she’s acting out.
Bailey, known online as @bmcpher, shared that she uses phrases like ‘you could not be with us anymore’ to discourage her daughter from doing something dangerous.
And while some might think it’s too much, the mum-of-one believes it’s important she understands how ‘freaking scary’ the world can be.
In a new TikTok reel, she said: “So controversial parenting take.
“We were at my parents’ house last weekend and my almost-three-year-old started to walk out the front door by herself.
“To which I said, ‘if you go out there by yourself, someone can take you forever and never bring you back’ or some wording like that.
“And I realised I do this with all things.
“If she doesn’t want to hold my hand in a parking lot, I say, ‘you could get hit by a car and not be here anymore’.
“When she gets cranky in her car seat and she wants to unbuckle, she’s yelling at me to unbuckle, I say,’ if you unbuckle out of that car seat you could not be with us anymore’.
“So my toddler already very much knows about not being with us anymore.
“That word, pain, suffering, that this world is scary, and my dad was like, ‘don’t teach her those things, she’s going to be scared of the world’.
“To which I said ‘good, she should be scared of the world, it’s freaking scary’.
“And those dangers exist even if you sugarcoat them.”
Her honesty attracted plenty of attention online, gaining more than 5,400 likes and 50,300 views.
In the comments, other TikTok users shared their thoughts on the parenting technique, with one writing: “I do see this creating anxiety in her as she’s older. It’s sowing a seed of fear. Just an opinion, as a mom I totally get where you’re coming from.”
“My mom was like this and now I’m anxious to go places alone, terrified to get gas, go on a walk because I think I’m gonna get kidnapped,” someone else replied.
Although some agreed and explained that they use similar phrases, with another adding: “’Do you wanna [SKULL]. Because that’s how you [SKULL]’ is a common phrase I tell my toddler.”
Someone else put: “Same. I’m brutally honest with my kids sometimes too so it sticks.”
A third commented: “Yesss we have to teach them now so they aren’t blindsided when they’re older.”