Be aware that the spoken word is powerful and effective

"Adults claim to love their children and be concerned about their
upbringing, but they do not always know how to behave with them,
and in particular they are not careful in the way they speak to
them. So many parents and educators constantly tell them they are
useless, stupid, and so on, and the children, influenced by
suggestion, as if hypnotized, after a while really do become
stupid and incompetent.
Be aware that the spoken word is powerful and effective, and
what parents say to their children can affect them badly, block
them and frighten them. To make them comply or keep quiet, is it
really necessary to threaten them with the wolf, the policeman,
the devil or who knows what? These children could well feel under
threat and insecure for the rest of their lives; this could
explain certain neuroses in adults. There are many things adults
need to correct about their attitude toward children; otherwise,
what they call an upbringing will really only be a bringing down."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov