How Should I React When My Kids Do Things Like This?

[Monnaislovviees]

he other day my son was helping me get groceries out of the car, he comes out and flexes his arms telling me how strong he is. I watch him as he proceeds to reach into the car and grab the gallon of milk, from the minute he picked it up he struggled pretty significantly to carry it into the house, he basically dropped it bringing it out of the car, And he struggled even more putting it up on the table. I would have done it for him but he said he wanted to do it himself so I let him. He was so proud of himself after that. He started running around the house with his shirt off flexing his arms again and really bragging that he brought the milk in to the house by himself and that he’s stronger than all of us   I meanINSIDE THOUGHT “ calm down there  little guy, don’t brag about a milk jug you could barely lift. I just watched you flex your muscles and explain how strong you were, then struggle to even lift a simple milk jug, even when you used both of your hands and all of your body weight, you struggled literally the entire time, from the very second you picked it up. you needed me to put it up on the counter for you. Oh yeah and on top of that, You still to stay, aren’t you strong enough to open the back door.

 

Today my daughter insisted she turned off a couple of the lights that we left on as we were leaving the house, I watched her get up on her stepstool, stretch out her arms, and start jumping, still barely grazing the switch, I’m pretty sure she just got lucky given that she had to jump up so many times. She then was bragging about how she was tall and able to reach the light switches. I mean INSIDE THOUGHT “ Chill out.  kiddo, I just watched you climb up on your stepstool, stretch your arms up, and even need to jump as high as you could. You had to readjust your stepstool a good four or five times on a single switch, and on all of the switches you were jumping for quite a long time, even so once you finally got it, your finger is barely raised it. On top of that, little one, I just picked you up and put you in your car seat because you still are not tall enough to climb in yourself. 

 

So why would I pretend that they both  put in an actual good effort?  What is impressive about bringing a little milk jug inside or flipping three average switches?

[jno]

you don't say how old they are - 5, 10, 35? If young, feel free to praise them. Everybody has a first time to flick a switch, and wise parents encourage them to take on domestic tasks.

[sandyRoe]

A "Well done" could boost their confidence.  

"You can't," would undermine it.

Praise them for their efforts.

[Monnaislovviees]

They are around 4-6

[Monnaislovviees]

Like OK, you brought a little jug of milk in the house. Cool. 
 

You flipped a switch, cool  

 

What is impressive about this? I don't understand why Seemingly every parent pretends and acts like their child puts in a good effort, when stuff like this is very simple. It's literally just bringing something inside, literally just flipping a switch

[davebro3]

sound like good kids - could do with a better mother though

[1ozzy]

Here's a good suggestion Moaner, belittle your very young children every chance you have.

This will ensure that they never grow any self confidence and always feel inferior to you. 

Then you can waste lots of peoples time reading your pitiful posts and pondering "what the *** is wrong with you"!!

[scorpiojo]

A gallon of milk would be quite heavy for someone who's 4 - 6 (are you not sure?) years old. 

[Smowball]

This can't be a genuine post, I mean who on earth would question whether they should praise their kids for trying their very best to do something?? whether they did it 100% correct or not, whether they succeeded or not is irrelevant - the fact is that they both tried and didn't give up. That in itself deserves high praise. Like I said, if you think otherwise then this can't be a genuine post.

[Monnaislovviees]

Again, what is genuinely impressive about bringing in a little milk jug, or flipping a switch? The jug of milk isn't hard, flipping the switch isn't hard. 
 

what did my son do that was genuinely impressive? He claimed to be very very very strong, even flexing his arms, then proceeded to use two hands and literally all of his body weight, and struggled the very second he picked up the little Jug of milk.

 

What was genuinely impressive about my daughter? She spent most of the time we adjusting her stepstool and jumping, once she finally got one of them her fingers barely grazed the switch, she just got lucky that she got it.

 

Both of these things can be done in a matter of seconds, yet they both took way way longer than they should've taken. What is genuinely impressive about about this??

[scorpiojo]

Not hard for an adult, but difficult for a child. Would you rather have children who didn't try?

[Monnaislovviees]

children should try new things, but every adult will then sit there and pretend that children genuinely put in a good effort.

 

Most parents would sit there and tell my son in a baby voice how he is really so incredibly strong and genuinely did such a good job and such an amazing effort bringing the milk inside. In reality it's just a little jug of milk, it's not a big deal  

 

Same thing with my daughter, most parents Would tell their daughter in a high-pitched voice, how they are extremely tall and we're really really quick. When they just got lucky that they were able to hit the three switches.

 

most parents again would pretend that my kids genuinely put up such a good amount of effort. And act so impressed, even though these are very very very simple every day tasks that can be done literally in seconds

[1ozzy]

Most parents?

I'm so glad I didn't raise my 4 children where you live.

I'll nominate you for mother of the year award🤣

[johnk]

Poor kids, they feel they need to prove themelves bacause their mother is so negative. Hope they have a better father.

[johnk]

If he's still with a mother like that

[Monnaislovviees]

I mean here, I can give you another example. I took my daughter to the store while we were shopping for those groceries, and she was explaining how she was able to walk really fast saying "mommy, I can walk so fast like lightning."

but every time I am walking with her, I can be walking super slow, and she has a hard time keeping up with me. The other day when we were at the store, I had to pick up and carry my daughter because she wasn't able to walk fast enough alongside Everyone else in the store. Yet she was so proud that she can walk so fast.

 

What is impressive about walking? Again, seemingly every parent would pretend that their daughter put in a genuine actual effort, when in reality my daughter can barely keep up with me when I'm walking really slow, let alone in the store

[davebro3]

Those kids are dummies - get rid of them and have some new ones, hopefully you will have better luck.

[Monnaislovviees]

No, I'm genuinely asking. I love my kids. But like, what's impressive about barely being able to keep up with me when I'm walking super slow but yet claiming that you are super fast. Or claiming to be super strong and not even able to lift a little milk jug, or claiming to be super tall and only being able to flip the switches because of luck? 

[Old_Geezer]

There are times when one feels tempted to attract the wrath of the management here for doubting the authenticity of a thread. I'm not saying this is one of those times, but...

[Smowball]

OG - I'm with you 100%!!

[hellywelly4]

I think it's an American contributor. We don't have gallon bottles of milk in the UK do we? Very strange anyway.