A parent's job is difficult, to say the very least. You have to juggle working, raising your kids, while still managing to give even an ample amount of time for yourself. However, your kids may not have any idea about these difficulties, like how much work you do, and how tough it is. Let us face it, they are kids, and they do not know any better; unless you show and tell them.
If you wonder why kids don't seem to appreciate what they have, then here are some probable reasons.
Kids are kids
The things that you appreciate as parents may not be the same things that your kids will understand. They have their own set of standards for themselves, and you have yours. See the difference?
Ilana Wiles, author of "The Mommy Shorts Guide to Remarkably Average Parenting," and a mother of two daughters, shared her experience about her and her kids' appreciation differences.
Wiles brought her two daughters, Mazzy and Harlow, to a rooftop lunch in the most beautiful location in New York City - as Wiles described the place - in celebration of the digital release of Beauty and the Beast.
Wiles wanted to have just one decent photo of them all together in front of the Beauty and the Beast sign. However, her daughters never even smiled at the same time when a co-worker tried to take their pictures.
Although her kids have fun and are grateful during the said lunch, it was not how Wiles expected them to be.
The difference between you and your children is simple; they are children. Grand lunches in perfect locations like the one above are just a typical lunch for them. For kids, ideal places are only locations.
When Wiles and her two daughters went home that evening, her daughter, Mazzy, suggested that they eat at their apartment's balcony for dinner. That evening, they had an amazing pizza dinner, and Wiles finally got the perfect picture she wanted; her two girls smiled widely at the camera.
According to Wiles, when she thinks about how she can make her children more grateful human beings, she would try to remember that her children are still just that--children. What they are grateful for is not something that involves grand and pretty lunches.
When kids do not appreciate your efforts
As mentioned above, kids are kids, and they tend to be unappreciative at times. They are used to asking for and receiving your help with their convenience every time. What you can do, however, is not to let them take you for granted and start making them do things for themselves, even if it involves crying with just a simple "no."
Katie Bingham-Smith's son experienced this when Katie refused to pack his lunch one morning. According to Katie, she asked her son the previous night to do it, and her son said that he would do it in the morning. That morning came, and his son was whining at her for not packing his lunch for him.
Katie said that it was hard to say no. However, in her defense, if her kids cannot follow the rules, it is not her job to adjust. Katie also believes that if she does not enforce regulations, then it will only start to look more like suggestions.
After that morning incident, her son packs his lunch up every night after dinner without fail. For Katie, rules work. It was a lesson that she and her son had learned the hard way.
It is difficult to be parents, not to mention the responsibilities it holds tend to be unbearable at times. If ever you feel down and unappreciated by your children, recall the amazing things that you have done for them, and this time, be the one to be appreciative of yourself and your hard works. Also, remember that they are still kids; they will come around eventually.
