Bad attitude

Think for a minute about how you would feel if I said to you “You have a bad attitude and you need to change it!” What would you be feeling? What thoughts would be going through your mind about me?

Recently I attended a fun-filled Healthy Family Day event at our local YMCA. While there I overheard a conversation between a girl, who looked to be about 4-years-old, and her mom. The girls’ mom was scolding her saying “You need to change your attitude. Why are you in such a bad mood? Put a smile on your face. This is supposed to be fun for everyone.”

Being scolded certainly made her daughter quiet but it didn’t bring a smile to her face. When we’re upset it’s easy to say things to our children that actually make the situation worse rather than better.