How to Prevent Ungrateful Kids during Winter Holidays
Parents who don’t want to hear whining over gifts should do some preparation as the holidays approach.
Nothing can ruin the happy glow of gift giving faster than a child whining about not getting what they wanted. The slap of ingratitude is particularly sharp around the holidays when charity and thankfulness are at a premium and stress and money worries are running high. Worse still is when a child lacks gratitude in front of seldom-seen relatives. But parents should take a breath and understand holidays set kids up for disappointment. The fix for ingratitude lies in preparation, some empathy and a good deal of practice.
“You have to understand from a kids perspective what happens with the holiday season,” explains Dr. Laura Markham author of Peaceful Parent, Happy Kids: How to Stop Yelling and Start Connecting. “It’s pretty unfair that we make it about presents for them and then we think they’re being bratty and ungrateful because they make long lists about what they want.”
