PLEASE give your kids a socially acceptable way to manage disappointment during gift opening tomorrow!!!Context: My mom STRESSED about Christmas my whole life. Everything had to be “perfect.” Especially your face when opening a present while the entire family silently stared at you in anticipation.God forbid you do anything other than scream and jump for joy! Even the slightest furred brow or delayed “thank you” resulted in a full on hissing fits - like actual hissing while she yanked you out of the room, with accusation of ingratitude and threats of having all your gifts thrown in the trash, etc. Made me loathe Xmas until well into my 20s and I still don’t like opening presents in front of anyone because I’m worried my face will be “wrong.”I get it - kids can be thoughtless, thankless; and some of them really are entitled jerks! It’s important to teach gratitude and etiquette. But even the nicest kid is going to get a gift they don’t like sometimes. Even the chillest kid can get overwhelmed at the holidays and melt down.Teach kiddos that it’s ok not to like everything, that it’s ok to be disappointed or uncomfortable; and that there ARE socially acceptable, gracious ways of handling those feelings. Give them phrases to thank and phrases to excuse themselves to another room if they need an escape.But please don’t pressure them to make Christmas “perfect.” via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2PTVKTR
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