Whether it's reminding them that "money doesn't grow on trees" or warning them that their silly faces will "get stuck that way," mothers and fathers often find themselves dipping into the well of parenting cliches -- even if they thought they never would.
But there's one thing kids hear so often that it can begin to lose its meaning: "Be careful."
During a conversation about moving past fear, Kathy Eldon, co-founder of the Creative Visions Foundation, told HuffPost Live's Nancy Redd that parents should stop using that common warning with their children.
"It's weird when little kids are playing, we say 'be careful, be careful.' It's not going to make a child more careful," Eldon said. "We can say 'watch out' for something, but just the words 'be careful' is so annoying. Doesn't that annoy all of us?"
That's not to say parents shouldn't warn their kids of surrounding dangers or teach them to avoid sticky situations. Instead, Eldon recommends talking to children about fear in a more meaningful, less cliched way.
"We have to teach them the tools and ability to gauge depth or breadth or width, but don't just keep telling people to be careful. It's dumb," she said.
Catch the full conversation about getting over your fears at HuffPost Live HERE.
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