Esther’s son is always dissatisfied: ‘What am I doing wrong?’

#Esthers #son #dissatisfied #wrong

Esther finds it irritating that her son never seems to be satisfied, even when they are doing something fun together. How can she change this?

Esther has great difficulty with the behavior of her six-year-old son. “Every time I want to do something fun with my son – a game, go to the playground or the cinema – it often ends in an argument. He gets angry about something, whines for more because it never seems to be enough and I get angry. in turn very grumpy. Sometimes I think: what am I doing wrong? With other families it seems to be going well, but with us it is messy. What can I do about this?

This is a difficult issue, says Annelies Bobeldijk WOW! Parenting coaching: “For some children the glass is half full and some children always want more, that’s just the way it is. As a mother you can impose the expectation that your child should be satisfied with what he gets, but not everyone is this by nature. And that causes mutual frustration. It helps if you are clear with your child about what he can expect when you go somewhere, tell him in advance that he will get a small popcorn and a drink no more.”

“By constantly comparing your family to others, you are sending the message to your son that things are better with others.”

The fact that Esther thinks that other families are pleasant is characteristic, Bobeldijk thinks. “It is not helpful to constantly compare yourself and your family with others. This gives your son the message that things are better with others and not with you. So look at your own role in this: are you satisfied with what you If you always want something different, you set that example to your child.”

“It is better to teach your child not to immediately give a negative reaction to something, but to think about it for ten seconds first. Compare it with him giving you a drawing, and you immediately say that you don’t like it that much. How does that feel for him? You can hold a mirror up to him without being pedantic.”

Don’t want to miss an episode of this section? Then click on the Parenting Issue tag below and then click ‘Follow’ at the top left.