Parenting wisdom

Although this is still some time away for me, I notice a lot of parents, and by that I do mean a LOT, tend to label their children as 'naughty', 'nice', 'calm' or 'independent' and then use these labels to predict their behavior as they get older, say as teenagers and adults. My sincere request to all parents out there is to stop doing that..never ever tell your child, or tell someone else about your child (for example) that 'my kid is very independent, he/she has a mind of her own and refuses to listen to us'. Developing such stereotypes early on (while attractive) subconsciously affects the way parents behave with their kids, which in turn affects the way children respond, i.e. the classic self fulfilling prophecy, part of Psychology 101 in any undergrad class. More importantly, these beliefs often carry on into adulthood and often make us the people we are. While there's more a complex relationship like parent-child, its often the small things like this that go into making the person who (s)he is as an adult. So all you parents out there, watch out!