23 When Confronted with Brats and Bratty Behavior.

Conventional wisdom:  Only other people’s children are brats.

✔ Reality:  One person’s angel is another person’s obnoxious irritant.

    How can anyone, even doting parents enjoy being around their own children when they act like brats. That wasn’t really a question, but notice I said,  “act like brats, not are brats.”  I’m leaving the door open for improvement.

Often when we notice brats, it is because they are doing something obnoxious and attention getting.  If a parent is nearby we look to them to do something about their child’s behavior but the parent is blinded, they do not see their wonderful offspring as anything but, cute, energetic, and well behaved.  Sometimes the parent is a grown up version of their brat and equally offensive.     Let’s get our priorities straight, you can’t do anything about others and their bad parenting, and these parents and the brats they are raising are not going away.  They will always be out there as examples (bad) for our kids to copy, and to learn from.         Yes, kids see bratty behavior and learn not to be like “Tommy the Terror”, but kids also succumb to pack mentality and peer pressures.  Pack mentality is when the child acts out of character to be like his friends. When a member of a group, they follow each other blindly, not thinking.  On their own, they  are  well behaved, but not necessarily so in a gang.

    What you can do is make sure your children know where you stand, ✔do not assume that a three year old knows what bratty behavior is, and that you don’t condone it.  Unless you take him or her aside and say, “See the way that kid is acting, climbing on the table, and using the f word, that’s bad and you should not act that way, ok, got it,” Realize that, they (your kids) may think you approve.   ✔If you say nothing, or act indifferent when in the presence of bratty behavior, you’re sending a silent signal. Your kids look to you for these unspoken signals as clues to how they should act.  Be careful, don’t go overboard, make sure not to blame your child for another kids behavior.  ✔He is not guilty by association.   When you point out bratty actions and show your disapproval, make your child a team member, and ask them what they think.  They may have a twist and surprise you with their insight.

Here come the kids from hell!