Teaching our big kids gratitude...

[JAK]

I know (or been informed) that selfishness is normal in preteens/teens but ds level of selfishness is doing my head in. Ds expects things to be gotten for him all the time and he just expects that things will be rearranged for him because he wants it to.

He displays little to no gratitude or appreciation for anything atm. So am after some ideas/activites to change this.

[ali_celt]

Erg I hear you. I can't abide how utterly thoughtless mr14 is right now. It drives me nuts! Everything is about him, and he seems to honestly be affronted when something he's decided he wants doesn't fit with the other 4 people in the household.

I really think the only way to get through to him is constant reminding of how there are other people in this house, other people in the world, and it doesn't all revolve around him. Over and over again.

That's what I do anyway - not in a nasty fashion, but in a "remember" kinda fashion.

Hugs, it stinks.

Ali

[mamma]

its a hard one jak, can you remind him about manners? about treating people the way he'd ike to be treated?
im struggling with this too atm and thats what im trying....

[cherish]

how about watching something about people less fortunate.. something that pulls at the heart strings a bit..

[JAK]

Thanks. I've been doing most of them, will keep going with them. I guess it's just really gotten to me of late.

how about watching something about people less fortunate.. something that pulls at the heart strings a bit..
You know I did that recently and I don't think it makes any impact. Actually he does show some concern for them, but it doesn't translate to his own immediate surroundings. I wonder how much is due to his autism and how much is just normal.

It helps to hear that others have the same issue (not that it's a nice one).

[cherish]

yeah.. I forgot about his autism.. sorry

[JAK]

yeah.. I forgot about his autism.. sorry

Don't be sorry. It's good to hear that other children are like that, means it's more normal and might be easier to work with it. Will keep doing the things suggested and will cross my fingers that it sinks in sometime in the next 5 or so years.