;)
I think there's a "know thyself" problem for those who have difficulty with their kids. They'll behave like you, and if you're not happy with yourself then you won't be happy with them.
Both of mine are so often overtly like me I often ask my wife: when are YOU having kids?
To which she replies: three is more than enough.
(Explainer: we have two kids, I'm the third).
yup that's a classic.
I think there's a "know thyself" problem for those who have difficulty with their kids. They'll behave like you, and if you're not happy with yourself then you won't be happy with them.
very much so. but it works the other way too. seeing myself reflected in my kids motivates me to change my behavior.
and parents changing their behavior is the only thing that works. applying two different standards and thinking that certain behavior is only ok for adults but not for kids (swearing for example) doesn't work.
for anyone who missed it, a longer discussion on the topic is here btw: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31703675
i think what makes kids tough to deal with is not accepting their behavior as it is. when you want them to be a certain way, but you don't know how to get them to be that way. even when i see problematic kids portrayed on tv many times i feel that the kids don't have a problem, but it's the parents who can't deal with it. they don't take the kids seriously and don't respect them or consider their needs. with that attitude, kids will be difficult at any age.