Send the wrong message

To “send the wrong message” means to do or say something that communicates a meaning different than what you want. Some family experts think that a birdnesting situation “sends the wrong message” to the kids that the change isn’t real or isn’t permanent. Some experts think that birdnesting signals something different to the kids than what the parents might want. The government withholding support from the struggling country will “send the wrong message” to countries that are looking to them for help.