The other day a friend of mine wondered out loud, "How do you deal with a situation where your friend has an annoying child? Will it ruin the friendship if you're honest and tell them directly that their child is annoying yours?"
This is a loaded issue. Most parents, most people for that matter, tend to be defensive and cannot take criticism. They just can't believe their own child is annoying. Maybe that is because they have a badly-tuned awareness mechanism. This is akin to a rejected singer on "American Idol." They firmly believe they have a winning voice. But you wonder; do they have a hearing problem? Or perhaps their parent continues to reinforce the belief that their voice is like a pop star. But in fact it sounds like fingernails on a blackboard. This is really no different than the child or parent who perpetuates an annoying behavior. Both badly need a reality check and awareness tune-up.
If you recognize any of these warning signs it might mean your child has annoying behavior and your friends are uncomfortable telling you to your face. It is your job to help your child understand how to modify their behavior so that they can get along better with others in social situations. And secondly, if your friends are uncomfortable telling you to your face, it might be because you are a bit defensive too. Remember, most people don't like confrontation. Sometimes it's less stressful to make up an excuse than to tell the truth.
No Birthday Invitations
You discover that one of your child's classmates is having a birthday party. Everyone in the class was invited but your child. [continued on Yahoo! Shine]
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