26/02/2024
4 possible reasons your kid is behaving ungrateful.
1. Need for autonomy
This one probably stings and makes some parents shake their heads because it makes them “disrespectful.”
Manners and gratitude are important.
So help your child establish their autonomy while being grateful and respectful.
They are skills you can model and teach!
2. Entitlement.
This probably isn’t surprising.
If you give your kids everything all the time they’ll come to expect everything they want from everyone all the time.
For our children to experience a range circumstances and situations they do need to hear the word “no” when it comes to
material things in particular.
3. Lack of experience
Lots of kids live in a bubble where they don’t see or experience other ways of living.
You can say other people don’t have toys, food, or access clean water but if they don’t
see it, their concrete brains don’t really see or understand it.
4. Exchange relationship
This is tied to our need to reward our children. It is suggested that when we reward our kids for listening, doing the things, not doing the things it sets up the expectation that they will be rewarded and so there’s no gratitude for something that’s dependent on them earning it.
What you do about this lack of gratitude?
Get curious about what is behind your child’s ungratefulness.
Could it be one of the 4 things listed above?
Focus less on telling them they’re ungrateful and more on teaching and modelling gratitude.
Have a daily gratitude practice
♦️At dinner, as a family, share the things you are grateful for.
♦️Volunteer so your child sees a wide range of human experiences
♦️Point out generosity and acts of kindness .
♦️Make sure you’re using manners to set an example.
