Nagging is something that most parents have done at one point or another, but it doesn’t always produce desired results.
Nagging can be frustrating for both the parent and the child, and often leads to more problem behaviors from children.
Nagging also has a negative impact on family relationships as well as self-esteem in children. 
In this article, we will explore 7 reasons why nagging does not work and provide tips for better parenting strategies that are less stressful for you and your child.
It Creates Resentment
Nagging can be very frustrating for both the parent and child.
When parents nag, children often feel controlled or manipulated which causes them to rebel even more than they would otherwise.
Nagging can also create resentment in kids who may begin to think things like “I do everything I’m supposed to do—so why should this one thing matter so much?”
Once resentment sinks in, children may begin to engage in the problem behavior even more.
Nagging also has a negative impact on family relationships as well as self-esteem in children.
It makes the other person feel attacked
Nagging can make your child feel like they are constantly being attacked which will cause them to become defensive.
When parents nag, children often think things such as “What’s wrong with me? Why is it so important for you that I do this one thing? If I could do it on my own, why would I need help from you at all?”
From a young age, kids start to develop their independence, and when parents nag it sends the message that they don't have enough of an ability or desire to succeed without someone else telling them what to do every step of the way.
Once children reach these conclusions about themselves, problem behaviors tend to increase because negative self-perceptions lead to low self-esteem.
It can make the problem behavior worse
Nagging is most effective when parents use it consistently, but if you nag too much your child may begin to ignore you or tune out your words completely—which obviously defeats the purpose of trying to get through to them in the first place!
Research has also shown that complaining about a specific behavior over and above its actual frequency makes kids actually like engaging in said behaviors more because they enjoy getting the attention (even negative) from their parents rather than just ignoring them altogether.
When children realise this kind of power for themselves, it will only increase their desire to engage in those behaviors even more often so that they can feel empowered by receiving all of that parental attention.
It's not a natural way of communicating
The way that humans communicate naturally is through dialogue.
Nagging, however, is more of a directive approach to communicating which basically tells the other person what you want them to do without any explanation or reasoning as to why it’s important for them to follow your requests.
This makes children feel like they have no voice in decision-making and will only cause them to resist even more than before—even when parents switch back over into using dialogue rather than nagging after already having given up on doing things the natural way!
It can make kids stop trying altogether
When parents set high expectations but then constantly resort back to giving orders instead of letting their children reason with them, children often become frustrated and start feeling hopeless about achieving those goals.
This is especially true if those expectations seem unrealistic or are just too much for them to handle on their own—which, let’s face it, they probably will be at that age!
The result of this kind of parenting strategy often leads children to give up completely and instead adopt a “why bother?” attitude which will definitely have an impact on the problem behavior as well (otherwise known as learned helplessness).
It can lead to power struggles around compliance in general
As I mentioned previously, nagging often causes kids to feel like their voice doesn't matter when making decisions about how they should act.
When parents resort back to giving orders all the time rather than working hard towards encouraging their children to voice their own opinions when it comes to things that affect them, children can start feeling like they have no autonomy in any aspect of life.
It often leads to an argument or disagreement
Arguments with parents can be scary for children but especially so when they feel like there is no resolution in sight.
As a result, kids will often continue engaging in those problem behaviors just to avoid another argument that seems destined to end the same way as before—with them being seen as the bad guy and their parent coming across looking completely right even if it wasn't intentional at all!
You’re not going to get anywhere by nagging your child. It doesn't work because you're telling them what they should do instead of working on finding solutions together which encourages independence and avoids power struggles around compliance altogether.
Instead of giving orders or constantly worrying about how much you've been nagging, try talking things out with your child instead—you may be surprised at how much more willing they are to cooperate with you if you do!
Nagging is a form of manipulation, not communication
When parents complain about a specific behavior over and above its actual frequency, kids learn to enjoy the attention they get from their parents—even negative.
This can lead them to engage in that behavior more often so they can feel empowered by receiving all of that parental attention. It's not a natural way of communicating.
Children will resist even when you switch back to using dialogue rather than nagging after giving up on doing things naturally because it makes children feel like they have no voice in decision-making which causes learned helplessness or "why bother?"
This leads to power struggles around compliance as well as arguments with parents who come across looking completely right even if it wasn't intentional at all!
Wrapping Up
These seven reasons why nagging doesn’t work are just a few of the things you can consider when talking with your children.
It is never too late to learn new skills and techniques that can help you be more effective as a parent, whether it's learning how to communicate in an assertive manner or understanding what triggers certain behaviors from your child.
If any of these points resonate with you, we encourage you to reach out for some professional guidance on parenting strategies that will better suit the unique needs of both parents and children.
What's been the best way for you to address negative behavior?
Did any of these tips resonate with you more than others?
We'd love to hear from readers who might not have kids themselves but still find the topic interesting too.