Having trouble with your kid and don’t know how to deal with an ungrateful child?
It is no secret that many parents struggle with their kids when they grow up. The kids can be rude and downright ungrateful, no matter what you try to do as a parent.
This is nothing but an exasperating experience for every parent.
Imagine saving for a while to buy your child their favorite toy on their birthday, only for them to shove it aside and find whatever excuse they can get to not appreciate it.
Gratitude, unlike politeness, can be hard to teach to kids. Observation and explanation are the best ways parents can teach kids to be grateful.
However, your child being ungrateful at one point in their ever-impulsive life is entirely normal.
But no parent wants their child’s ungrateful attitude to become permanent, and there is a way to deal with it.
Related post: When Your Child Says Hurtful Things To You!
How To Deal With An Ungrateful Child
Kids often start to understand more complex emotions such as gratitude between their fourth and sixth birthdays.
Some parents make the mistake of giving kids more, hoping they will be appreciative. This will only end with them begging for even better things.
Also, thinking that you will guilty trap them by pointing how lucky they are will likely fail to turn this behavior around.
The good news is, parents can model the gratitude they want their children to demonstrate.
The following are some tips and what to do about dealing with an ungrateful child.
- Teach Your Child Empathy
The sooner your child learns to feel what it’s like to be in another person’s shoes, the better they will change their behavior towards others.
Kids are pretty egocentric by believing that everything in their sight should belong to them.
Make a habit of asking your child how they would feel if they were the recipient of the exact meaningful words or actions.
You can use movie or book instances to achieve this.
2. Hold Your Ground
Dealing with your child’s tantrums can be exhausting. You might want to give in to your kid’s demands just to let everything cool down.
Giving in fortifies the ungratefulness you are trying to get rid of.
Well, there are rare times it’s acceptable to give in to their demands. But this should be rare.
Your child will learn not to ask for more when you stand your ground.
If they ask for 30 more minutes of screen time before going to bed, calmly say NO. This will make them come to terms that the previous behavior is unacceptable.
It’s understandable to feel remorse in such situations.
However, always keep in mind that throwing tantrums limits your child from communicating and be appreciative. Always hold your ground when necessary.
3. Set Limits On What You Do For Your Kids
Setting limits on what you do for your kids is an ideal way for them to internalize gratefulness.
Children who grow up to be ‘over indulged’ frequently do not develop social skills, such as gratitude, that play a big part in their early life.
A child receiving too much money, materials, gift, and even time will find it hard to understand the concept of moderation and self-control.
Your child should learn to differentiate between their needs and wants. One effective way to achieve this is by setting limits on what you do for them.
4. Take Away Privileges Temporarily
If your child keeps shoving the toys or gifts, you get him/her away, temporarily take them away.
You can do this frequently by keeping away their less used items and bringing them out after a few days.
Children getting used to all that they have, in a way, make them less appreciative.
At times, dealing with an ungrateful child isn’t just about the gifts, toys, and the things we do for them. Showing gratitude isn’t part of what kids do.
It’s exhausting for most parents to learn how to deal with an ungrateful child. But it’s possible to model the gratitude we would want our kids to demonstrate.
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Mo Mulla is a work from home dad who enjoys reading and listening to music, He loves being a dad and husband to a growing family. He also loves writing about his passions and hopes to change the world, 1 blog post at a time!
