“You’re always … [uncooperative]!”. “You never … [pick up your clothes]. How many times a day do you find yourself saying or thinking these kinds of things about your kids? Or these kinds of things about yourself: These are examples of what communication experts call dis-empowering language: negative thoughts or words we may take for granted as part of our everyday vocabulary. It’s a type of language that leave us feeling more like pawns in someone else’s game, rather than masters of our own destiny. Often when we use dis-empowering language, it’s a direct reflection of dis empowered feelings we may have, which commonly arise under stress. Although the statements above might seem harmless, dis-empowering language can have a profound effect on the feelings and behaviors of our children and ourselves.