Children can all be annoying. They can be annoying to their parents, their siblings and to their peers. Being annoying within the family setting isn’t such a big deal but outside of the home it can be as it can affect their relationships with teachers, friends and other adults. When children are annoying to others, their peers can take a wide berth from them and stay away. Alternatively, their friends may be rude to their face e.g. ‘You are so annoying because……’ They don’t hold back sometimes and will explain in detail why they have annoyed them. You child’s annoying behaviour may not be recognised by your child so you might have to point out to them what it is otherwise they won’t know what they need to do to stop. If they knew then perhaps they would make that small change or tweak.
Reigning In Your Child’s Annoying Behaviour
So how can we get our children to be less annoying, knowing that, of course, everyone gets annoyed by something someone does (borders slightly on intolerance)?
- We could get them to think about the things that could annoy others and then try and be less of them. For example, maybe they talk over their friends. It’s not a great social skill to have… so we could help them to wait for their friends to stop talking and then talk. Maybe they have habits that are not very socially acceptable. Discuss the benefits of them stopping this habit and see that the reaction from their friends is more positive.
- Perhaps they could think about the things that annoy them. What would they tolerate and what wouldn’t they. They need to see that everyone has a limit of what they will accept and what they will not.
If children are aware of their annoyance, they can change it but it will take time. Just like starting a new habit, it takes time to break one. They need to be aware and note the change from others but really understand that some behaviours just have to be reined in.
To help with other behaviour issues or changes you would like your child to make have a look at ‘The Parent’s Toolkit’
Alternatively, maybe life coaching for your teen or child may help them to see what changes they need to make. Hearing it from an outsider can really help them think about their behaviour.
