There are a lot of parents with this philosophy of "What I say goes, I'm the boss , everyone bow down to me, I can do no wrong".

This approach is detrimental to raising children who take accountability for their own actions. They need to see you admit to your faults, and you do owe them an apology when you mess up, even if you happen to think that "seems stupid because they're just a kid".

Children learn by example, and they pick up on so many nuances, minutiae, and unspoken truths.

You aren't fooling them into thinking you're perfect by refusing to admit mistakes - you're teaching them that to apologise is shameful and should be avoided at all costs. You cannot treat a child one way and then expect them to comport themselves in the opposite manner.

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EDIT: uh, wow, this blew tf up. To address a few things from the comments:

• I'm a 35 y/o mother to a 3 y/o, and I try to practice what I preach. I'm not a child psychology expert by any means, (I just play one on the internet...), but I have done a considerable amount of research over the years on various parenting styles and techniques, and new studies that come out regarding the long term effects of them. I defer to experts and scientists.

• My father modeled a wonderful example by always apologizing and admitting when he was wrong, and it did not affect how we viewed him as the boss of the household. I also experienced the opposite with my biological mother, who is a clinically diagnosed Narcissist.

• For everyone who can relate and who has a story to share, please know that I will try my best to respond to your comments; thank you for your bravery in sharing your experiences.

Thank you all so much for your kind words and the lovely shiny pixels, I'm so glad that this was well-received. Have a dope weekend, folks🖤