30 Times Parents Used Reverse Psychology And It Totally Worked On These Clueless Kids

There’s a bit of an ethical question attached to the use of reverse psychology. Specifically that it can be a way to manipulate people. While it can sometimes work wonders when nothing else does (try convincing your kid to eat their veggies), it should only be used sparingly.

After all, if someone’s constantly tricking you, then the foundation of your relationship is built on beach sand as the tide’s rolling in, not solid bedrock. What’s more, if used too often or incorrectly, reverse psychology could erode your kid’s self-esteem or even make them feel guilty.

According to LeanderD, they had no idea that their question would go viral; however, they had hopes that they'd catch everyone's attention. "I think it's really cool that it has gotten the popularity it has. I didn't expect it, although I had posted some other questions prior on r/AskReddit that I kinda hoped would go on the front page. I posted some things in the hopes of one going viral but I didn't think that question, in particular, would," they told Bored Panda that it was an unexpected surprise.

Generally, it’s a better idea to use positive reverse psychology instead of its negative form. For example, you should steer clear of risky tactics like telling your child that they probably can’t do any better if their grades are slipping or if they’re not successful in some sort of project. While some kids would be inspired to try even harder, others might actually think that you don’t believe in them.

The author of the question joked that getting a viral Reddit post hasn't much changed their life, though some of their friends "thought it was cool."

Redditor LeanderD puts a lot of thought into the questions they post on the site. "I tried to find these questions that had the potential to go viral. I also wanted a question that gave some funny stories as replies. The kind of replies you read and think, 'Kids are som dumb and cute.'"

Instead of opting for psychological negativity that could make even a grown adult lose motivation, you could offer your child a choice. For example, say that your kid doesn’t want to take a bath: you could say that bath time is over and that it’s time for bed. This empowers your kid to choose what to do and they might even decide that bath time is way more fun than sleepy time.

Meanwhile, the author of the thread told us a bit more about how they came up with it. The inspiration behind the question about reverse psychology is, surprisingly, a series of kids' books that many of you Pandas may have read (me included). "I remembered I read a 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid' many years ago and remembered it mentioned reverse psychology there. I remembered it being funny at the time so it kinda stuck to me. I think it was something about his parents saying he could never do the dishes. So they repeated that many times until he practically begged to do the dishes. And on his birthday he got that as a present from his parents," the redditor explained.

"In my opinion, reverse psychology is so helpful because it makes you think you want to do those things. It is like the opposite of when you are about to go out with the trash bin and then right before, your mom asks you to do it. You suddenly don't want to do it anymore," LeanderD mentioned a situation that plenty of us have been in where somebody telling us that we _have to_ do something that we were going to do anyway makes us want to rebel.

However, LeanderD thinks that reverse psychology has its limits. "Its not like if my parents says, 'Don't clean the whole house today,' I will start cleaning the whole house right away," they pointed out that it's not a superpower (even though some parents might with that it was).

"I think it's a funny trick you can have in the back of your mind, and use it sometimes, but don't overuse it. I also think it works better on children than adults," the redditor added that adults aren't as easily tricked because they have far more life experience.

You could even use reverse psychology as a friendly challenge, like saying that you bet you could finish the greens on your plate faster than your child can. It’s fun, it’s a way to bond, and it might just get your munchkin to start munching healthier food items. Just remember that with great power comes great responsibility. And reverse psychology is a double-edged sword that should be used sparingly if at all.