When kids demand things rudely or insult your cooking, you can respond without giving in or blowing up. Try acknowledging their feeling while holding the boundary: "I see you're frustrated, and I'm not responding to that tone." It teaches them politeness works better than rudeness.
Do you get this? 'You need to give me my milk now!' 'You're stupid, I don't like that chicken, it's disgusting!' Now we tend to respond in one of two ways: either to be passive, sigh and give them the milk, or to be aggressive. 'How dare you speak to me like that, you are so rude!' Try addressing the feelings with an assertive response. You're feeling impatient because you want your milk. 'I don't want to be spoken to like that, so when you're ready to ask in a polite tone of voice, I'll be happy to help.' Or you're disappointed because chicken isn't what you wanted. 'You're welcome to leave it on your plate. I don't want to be told it's disgusting.' Kids can slip into bad habits of speaking to us, and we need to stand firm and help them to learn to be polite. Drop a comment below and I'll send you my free guide to dealing with tantrums, rudeness, and mood swings.
