Some kids I like some I don’t, I’m just like every other parent. Yes, I love every kid, but, there are a few that make me cringe and when they come over to visit I want to hide in the tree-house. Most parents are human, they have belly buttons and they feel just like I do about annoying kids.
If I like a kid, when asked if he can come over to play or hang ou,t I say “sure”, without hesitation. I don’t care if they stay for two hours or a couple of day. And then there are the kids that drive me crazy, I let them come over too, but I set a strict time limit. “Sure, she can come over, but I’ll have to bring her home by four because we have to blah, blah bla.” Sound familiar?
If other parents set strict time limits to your child’s visit you may have raised a “visiting brat”.
Sandor has a friend visiting right now who could stay for a month and I wouldn’t mind. I promise, he’s not an Eddie Haskell, he doesn’t suck up to me or say “Yes Ma’am Mrs. Hampo” every time I ask him a question, but he is polite. Every thirty minutes or so I ask the boys to do a job and he says, “sure” and helps out without a fuss, when I asked if they wanted a pb&J he said that sounds good and ate the whole thing, even the crust. But more importantly he and Sandor actually play, for hours, silly stupid fun stuff. They never get bored and whiny and that’s wonderful. Right now as I’m writing this, they are hding in the trees with Nerf guns.
The “visiting brats” always seem to be the same. 1. They get bored and restless easily and generally only want to play video games. 2. They have bad or no manners at all. When you hand them a glass of juice they just slurp it down, put the cup on the counter and walk away.3. Nothing ever impresses them. Their Wii games are newer, their trampoline is bouncier, their jelly is fruiter. 4. You’d never ask them to help with a chore because you don’t want to listen to the sighing and whining. And finally, if it’s a boy brat there’s probably an endless cacophony of fart noises, even in front of adults, and jokes about nuts, balls and testicales. If it’s a girl brat there will be tears and teasing and somebody will cry before the visit is over.
Parents, do your child a favor. Tell them exactly how to act when they visit some body’s house.Train and roll play with them so they might actually get invited back. In the end it’s your responsibility and their behaviour is a direct reflection of your parenting skills. If you raise a brat, get ready for a lot of Saturday afternoons together.