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MENTAL HEALTH
Why Labeling a Child as the “Black Sheep” of the Family Is Wrong
It may seem innocent but it can cause a lifetime of hurt.
Have you been called The Black Sheep of your family?
The Black Sheep of the family doesn’t always have to be strange. Sometimes he or she is just less successful than their siblings or parents.
Ouch! That hurts.
I was always known as The Black Sheep of my family. At first, as a kid, it was a pretty cool badge and I wore it with pride.
As an adult, I don’t like it so much.
It may be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
It’s defined in the COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary:
If you describe someone as The Black Sheep of their family or of a group that they are a member of, you mean that they are considered bad or worthless by other people in that family or group.
It’s not a term of endearment like I thought when I was younger although I didn’t think my family saw me as totally…
