It can happen, all of a sudden you wake up and your child has become a spoiled brat and you are like “what in the heck happened to my sweet little child?” As parents, we all try to keep up our game, be up to par with standing firm with consistent rules, expectations and boundaries, but we are also human. While I like to believe all parents are super heroes with super hero strength, endurance and determination, the truth of the matter is: we are without any spectacular super powers and left to be every day, normal human beings who have a limit to our endurance and strength. It is all good though, every single parent struggles with days where the consistency went out the door just so we could enjoy a moment of downtime, we needed a break, we were at our limit and in turn the child ended up getting away with things that normally would be a no go.
Rest assured you can fix the spoiled brat behavior, so as long as you caught it early enough, but even if not early enough; depending upon the age you can fix this behavior with strength, endurance and lots of coffee 😉
If you have woken up to find you are raising a spoiled brat and want to learn how to correct that behavior, read on …
Remember you started raising this child from birth, all behaviors that were created stemmed from their environment, and depending upon age, their peers that surround them. Each child is different but I firmly believe you can nip any behavior in the butt with long term strength, focus and drive!
Plan Your Method: Get ready to figure out how to say no more often and how to let go of making your kid happy, no child should be happy with their parents decisions 100% of the time, that is all part of teaching them to grow up and learn that the world doesn’t revolve around them:
- Figure out where your child turned from what you thought was a sweet, well behaved child to a spoiled brat. Was it because you said yes too many times, was it because the child got what they wanted by throwing a fit? Was it because you are co-parenting and both parents are not raising the child in the same way? There can be multiple reasons why you woke up to a spoiled brat, figure out your reasons, write them down and evaluate how you can work with that list.
- Write a list of what you will do when your child is throwing a fit, do not react in anger, that can usually fuel a spoiled brats behavior. The angrier you get, the more they know you will drain easily, find a happy place and discipline from a deep place of love. Control any frustration, anger and negative emotions by filling your heart with love. When disciplining it can help to say “I love you but this is not okay.” Refrain from negative commentary such as “you are a spoiled brat!” as that won’t encourage any change.
Keep a Daily Journal: Whether you blog or write in a paper & pen journal, each day write a diary note about your day dealing with your spoiled brat. Make notes of small changes you have seen as well as things that you noticed you could work on tomorrow to be stronger in disciplinary action:
- Writing down notes about your day, every night when you sit down after the child is asleep, can help you to look back on those notes every morning. When you write memories from the day before after they happened and go to sleep to read them the next day, you will find strength in the small changes that occur each day in your spoiled brats behavior.
- Keeping a journal can help in many ways but mostly to release the negative, frustrating energy from each day before you lay down to sleep as well as to give you a focus point each morning when you are starting over again with your spoiled brat. Remember: the younger your child is, the easier this method will be, from what I hear, teenagers with their hormones and ability to “know it all” get harder as time goes on, but I firmly believe this method can help with any age!
While I am still raising a 6,8 and 12 year old …. Most of my methods have been shown to be proven a great method of dealing with your spoiled brat. I have helped friends of teenagers many times and while it did take more strength, positive attitude and endurance to change a teenager; this method can work with them too – so as long as you stay strong and patient long enough. There may be a point where your child is just too old to help change, and you find yourself being positive with them but having to let go to allow them to fall down on their own face. Sometimes, as parents, we simply end up having to let go and hope somewhere deep within our child’s minds something stuck from their childhood that will come back later in life.
I personally do not feel like giving up, ever, each day while my kids are young, I work to do the above methods to ensure any days I got off track are corrected almost immediately to ensure spoiled brat syndrome doesn’t stay long.
As every child is different, what methods work well for your family and children?
Featured Image Source: Pixabay
I don’t know if I would say my kids are spoiled brats, but I think they have a certain sense of entitlement for sure.
These are really great tips and it really struck me when you asked if it was because you said yes too many times. My kids are really great kids but I need to be more conscious so that they do not turn into spoiled brats!
You have no idea how right on you were with that first picture. I have a pug mix, and I HAVE raised him to be a spoiled brat. He and his two fuzzy brothers are my kids, and they’re all fiends!
You are so right. I often wonder what in the hell did I do wrong. I’d never treat my mom the way I let my kids treat me. Parenthood is tough, pass the vodka!
I think every child goes through phases where we wonder what happened to our sweet, innocent little ones. Just being consistent is important.
My kids act bratty sometimes and don’t realize how good they have it. I tend to punish them and yell more than I’d like when they step out of bounds.
I don’t know that I would call any child a brat- the name calling thing and all, but I think all kids feel a bit entitled with their parents. I try to at least enjoy when my tot is well behaved for others- three is hard, after all. LOL!
Haha I think all kids get a little bratty from time to time. It’s definitely good to have tried and true methods.
We have found that taking away privileges works best for our family. My daughter will get in line quick if I take away her iPad!
There are times any kid can get in that mode. I think its important to be real with your kids how they are behaving.
My kids can have a high feeling of entitlement a lot of the times, but I’m not sure I would call them brats. I believe that being consistent in punishment and discipline is the best way to go.
The problem with living with kids a long time is that they figure out what your buttons are and then push them on purpose for fun (or just to show you who’s boss!) You’ve got to remain consistent with them!
My kids for sure have their bratty moments. I have learned to say no more and it’s definitely helping things – specifically my sanity. Haha.
This is a terrific post. I remember thinking the same thing one day about my kids. It is best to catch this as early as you can.
It is so easy to spoil our kids when they are younger. They are so cute and know how to get what they want. This is not behavior we want when our kids become teenagers. These are great tips.
I think there are a lot of little things that feed into building that sense of entitlement that seems to be at the core of “bratiness”. We try to surprise our kids with things occasionally, but make them earn something they ask for. Being consistent is another big key.
I think in some way, all kids are spoiled. There is nothing wrong with spoiling our kids but we must make sure we instill in them right from wrong and that the world doesn’t owe them anything.
Going through this with my older one – totally new territory for me