I’ve been thinking a lot about how to change a bad attitude.
Not only for my kids, but also for myself. Because with piling dishes in the sink, bills stacking up on the desk, and all types of stress that we face as parents, there is a tremendous amount of daily stress. And, stress definitely effects my mood (boo!). So, here’s an important change that has been helping with my own bad attitude…and, it’s helped with my preschooler, too.
How many times a day have you said to a child, “change your attitude!”
Does it do anything?
In my experience, it just makes my kids more upset. Would you feel supported and uplifted if another adult told you to change your attitude?
I sure wouldn’t..
So, how do you actually change a bad attitude?
Instead of saying, “change your attitude,” practice saying: “change your thinking.”
This is the gold.
Not only do you benefit from changing your thoughts, but you’re teaching your kids a valuable skill.
I tell my daughter all the time that she’s in charge of her thoughts.
If she thinks something isn’t any fun, it’s probably not going to be any fun at all. But, if she thinks more constructively, a whole new experience can happen – doors open, windows unlock, birds chirp (you get the idea…).
Here’s a list of thoughts/sayings that can negatively effect you’re attitude:
Saying things like… “this is boring,” “too hard,” “not any fun,” “stressful,” “unattainable,” “a waste of time,” etc.
Instead, practice thinking (and saying)…”I have to do this differently,” “how can I make this fun,” “what options do we have,” “I can do this”….
I’m not saying it’s easy and some days I even curse myself for thinking positive thoughts {{shakes fist at self}}, but if you don’t make an effort to change your attitude, then you can’t expect your kids to do the same.
This is how I think about it:
When I think negatively, my day is negatively effected.
When I think more positively, my day is effected more positively.
And, it’s how I want to teach my kids to think about it, too.
How do you help kids with their bad attitude?
You can check out more from my friend, Alida, who shares her best tip for fixing a bad day.
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