It's not just kids who say the darndest things. Parents do, too. When I was a kid, my parents just didn't make any sense to me. They'd be saying things like: "This hurts me more than it hurts you." And: "Because I said so, that's why!" As a kid, I swore I would never repeat that kind of nonsense to my future children. Well, here I am, all these years later, pretty much eating my words. You see, I've moved over to the other side. I'm one of "them" now... and I get it. All of that crazy talk... I GET IT NOW! Here are the Top 3 things I swore that I would never say to my own kids, but that I do (more often than I care to admit). 1. It hurts me more than it hurts you. I most recently used this phrase when I didn't allow my son to go to a much-anticipated sleepover party after he was "too sick" to go to school that day. Miraculously, he felt better as soon as party time arrived. I know that it upset him to see everyone run into his friend's house (he lives right across the street) with sleeping bags under one arm and pillows under the other. It really did hurt me, but I just couldn't let him go. A lesson needed to be learned – and I think he learned this one the hard way. 2. Because I said so, that's why! This one always baffled me as a kid. But now I know... Sometimes, it's best not to explain why. I don't want to explain to them why they can't jump off of the quarry or why they can't swim out "just a little bit farther." I don't want to take away their fun-loving, full-of-life spirit, but I've heard too much and seen too much, and I need to protect them as much as I can. So, instead, I'll just say "Because I said so, that's why," and leave it at that. 3. Sometimes you just have to learn things the hard way. I struggled with this one when my daughter showed me her hastily put together school project. She was adamant that it was her best work and, although I knew otherwise, I let her hand it in anyway. I knew her mark would be poor and my initial instinct was to jump in and save the day. Instead, I decided to let her hand in her "best work" and deal with the consequences. Sometimes, a lesson is best learned when learned through mistakes. What are some of the things your parents said to you that you swore you would never say to your own children?