To start with, what really is GRUMPINESS? According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary online, grumpiness is the attitude of being easily irritated or annoyed. In other words, to be very impatient most of the time with people or situations. We can therefore say grumpiness is that attitude of being constantly irritated, annoyed or impatient with people, things or situation. Generally speaking, attitudes or behaviors are learned and therefore can be unlearned. We are in the days and age when we all want everything fast and now. When it doesn’t happen fast and now, we tend to lose our patience, get irritated and become very annoyed.
As a parent or someone who relates with kids a lot, you will understand that kids tend to learn from and pick up the examples of the adults who are closest to them, those who are most influential in their lives. They form their pattern of behavior or attitude based on what they see or experience from their parents, close adult relatives, teachers and other sources of learning they are most frequently exposed to. It can also be assumed that the home situation or environment is the most influential on kids because they spend most of their time there.
Grumpiness is not only a bad attitude for children, it is equally bad for everyone. To effectively help kids overcome the negative attitude of grumpiness or any other negative attitude, it must start with the most influential adults in their lives which is usually the parents, guardians or teachers. It can also be said that kids are like a mirror reflection of their parent or other adults who are most influential in their lives. Kids reproduce what they see in their parents and those adults. As parents who wants to lead their kids by example, you must make it a habit to first check yourself when you observe any negative traits in your kids. Parents or guardians must therefore, work on themselves first in that area. They must realize the need to be positive role models to their kids. They must understand that much more important than the rules of behavior they set for their kids to follow is the way they conduct themselves to the kids and to others in the presence of the kids. If the parents are sure they are not responsible for the negative attitude they see in their kids, next is to check who or what the kids are being exposed to that may be responsible. Parents have a duty to deal with such appropriately as soon as possible.
The point is this, if you as a parent are always grumpy with your kids, with your spouse or with others right in the presence of your kids, you are pretty much telling your kids it is perfectly fine to be grumpy with others. But when you choose to be tolerant, patient and calm when you could have been irritated, impatient or annoyed, you are also teaching them to act that way. This is to say that the easiest way to handle grumpiness in kids is to practice not being grumpy towards them or others so they can learn from your examples. The saying “Children see, children do” will forever be true. It must be mentioned that no one is perfect. Parents and kids will always have moments of imperfection which if handled well especially by the adults, can be learning and growing moments for everyone. Besides such moments, the adults have the responsibility to keep working to model positive attitude to kids because it is the most effective method of teaching them.
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