Is there anything you'd add to this list of "6 ways to ruin your child's personality"?

I wouldn’t throw any of those out and I’ll add these three:

A lack of structure to life at home.
Taking no interest in school or school work.
Showing no interest in the child.

Doing everything for them.

Being over protective and not giving them time to explore for themselves
Not showing them that things should be done in moderation (too much of anything is not good)

Admittedly, not a parent but I would also include not fostering the child’s interests / hobbies. I have seen parents passively say “that’s not”, ignore the child’s interests completely, or even discourage those interests. My parents fostered our interests, particularly reading and writing, and that had a huge impact on what we went on to study later in life.

It reminds me of The Little Prince when the narrator says that he gave up, at the age of six years old, a career of being a painter because his parents discouraged it.

Subjecting them to country music, some parents are cruel, heartless bastards.

Trying to live vicariously through your child.

Trying to make them into your clone. That are their own people; accept that they won’t be just like you!

Being restrictive to the point where you are more of a prison guard than a parent.

Being overbearing and unwilling to compromise on anything. You have to be firm but fair, not merely firm.

I somehow survived such conditions and would like to add:

7. Living in squalor and pandemonium.

@ucme Agree, loll.

Shielding them from consequences.

Not changing the environment, like removing items that the parent doesn’t want touched, and instead, insisting that children, from the time they began standing and walking, NOT TOUCH anything. Takes away the satisfaction of exploring, and later of being an independent learner. The same parents may not answer questions, which again, can contribute to learning disabilities.

Not allowing them the freedom and time to be imaginative. The opportunity to pretend and also to dream about what could be.

Belittling them. Saw a mother at a store tell a kid “that’s a stupid toy, choose something else”..

Also, stabbing your kid in the neck isn’t exactly great parenting either.

Allowing them to do whatever they want, no matter how inappropriate, just to get them to stop whining. This action never teaches children what is appropriate or inappropriate.

Giving them treats or presents to get them to stop whining. Because it teaches them that if they whine, they’ll always get a treat or a present. So they never learn how to control themselves. They learn how to manipulate people.

Not teaching children manners. Look around, you’ll see the result of that everywhere, from your dining establishments, to stores to the freeway or the line at the grocery store.

Not getting your children extra help (whether it be from a therapist, a coach or a tutor) when they need it. Parents can’t always do it all, and some kids need extra help and parents aren’t always experts in certain areas.

Not teaching your children compassion. Again, look around and see the results of this little problem.

Not teaching your kids about good health and nutrition. Just because it’s easier to feed your kids fried chicken nuggets and soda, doesn’t mean that it’s a good idea. Look at the obesity and diabetes rates which have skyrocketed in the past few years. Some diseases start in childhood. Some diseases can be prevented or at least held off if the child has a decent diet and gets regular checkups and immunizations.

Not allowing a child to move forward towards his/her own natural talents or abilities in favor of something that the parent wants or expects them to do. Forcing a kid to go into accounting when he/she has the soul and talents of a painter is going to eff them up.

I’m not sure that any one particular thing can ruin a child’s personality, but I agree with what others have listed as being harmful. I would add that treating your children quite differently from one another can do terrible harm. One example might include being encouraging of one’s creative interest while telling another child that the interest they’ve chosen is a bad one. Another example might be having double standards: the first child knows he must wait until age 12 to gain certain freedoms, but the 9-year-old is allowed those freedoms at the same time because it’s easier on the parents. Another example might be always buying the older sibling new clothes and toys while forcing the younger sibling to subsist entirely on hand-me-downs. Such things might seem minor to some, but they really wreak havoc on a child’s developing sense of justice, identity, and evaluation of how much he/she is loved.

Medicate them. Doctors pass Ritalin like it’s candy. That sets a bad precedent.

I take issue with number 4. I think disgreeing in front of children can be ok, if done in a reasonable manner and the child sees how an issue is resolved. Maybe fighting means yelling and screaming and a show of anger? That would be bad, there I agree, but everything being peaches and cream in front of kids means they don’t learn communication skills during a disagreement.

I would add:
Expecting kids to do differently than you do yourself. A parent has to model the behavior they want their children to possess.

And, I don’t think it is personality per se, but kids being perfectly obedient and not able to negotiate with their parents for privilages means they have no practice in adulthood for standing up for themseves, standing up to authority, and discovering and knowing their own wants and needs. Being very passive and obedient tends to not be a very good thing in the end.

@JLeslie In the article they did specify screaming and cussing at each other.

Yes, belittling, being hardcore authoritarian and refusing to allow any input from your child in decision making or choices.
Lack of structure and consistency.

Telling them “Don’t be stupid” every time they ask for something, have an idea or make a suggestion.

@Dutchess_III I missed the article, thanks for clarifying.

I think it’s important to discuss things with your children. Answer as many of their questions as you can. Explain why you make the decisions you do.

As they get older (tweens and teens), it is important to negotiate with them, to not just say “no,” but to listen to what they want to do and negotiate reasonable solutions that give you both as much of what you want as you can work out, given family constraints. They need to learn a sense of efficacy, not that they are always told “no.” And sometimes the parents need to give a little.