Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have to pet sit for a relative for a week. During that entire week I will be around their 9 y/o grandson who is a little know-it-all. I absolutely cannot stand his attitude. He acts like he knows everything, gets mad when people don't listen or tell him otherwise, and the worst is that he often talks condescendingly to adults. I'd like to strangle him, but I know that's wrong.
He even acts this way at school with his teachers and some of them would like to strangle him (I know someone who works at his school). His classmates don't particularly like him because of his attitude and they know he's a know-it-all and doesn't listen. He doesn't have any friends and his attitude has caused him to be somewhat alienated from the other kids. The only kids who ever show up for his birthday parties are poor kids who take advantage of him and socially or mentally handicapped kids. I've tried to be nice and play with him, but I can't take it anymore. I've given him more than enough chances to behave himself and he just can't do it. I feel bad but I wish he'd go away and leave me alone.
Can someone please tell me how I should handle his attitude/behavior? I cannot stand being treated like that by anyone. I feel like he treats me like a dog or something. I certainly cannot punish him in someone else's home and I need to be there to care for the animals. When I originally agreed to pet sit back in March, then again in June, his behavior was not this bad. It's gotten increasingly worse since April.
I think the bulk of our problem surrounds the computer. He thinks he knows everything about computers. One day I had around six browser tabs open to different websites to do some comparison shopping. So the kid comes in and gets all upset and indignant because I had six tabs open and he acted like I was crazy and shouldn't have six of them open. He was acting as if I had just spilt a beverage all over the computer, I couldn't believe him. It's not so much that he thinks he knows everything that is annoying, it's his attitude that's the problem. At one point I just flat out told him that he is a child and that he doesn't know as much about computers as he thinks he does. I told him that I took and aced computer classes in high school and we learned to do things that he won't learn for at least three more years and some stuff he'll never learn because it doesn't exist for the average user anymore (like DOS and making batch files). He wouldn't listen to me and continued telling me how I can't have all those tabs open. Sadly, the kid has been a know-it-all from the womb, so I doubt he'll outgrow that anytime soon.
I just have no idea how to handle him. I could ignore him, but he makes me so mad that it's hard holding all that anger inside. Plus, I totally resent having to always end up angry because of what he says. There's no way to avoid being around him and his parents think it's my responsibilty to make him listen and behave when he's around me.
I get that he makes you mad, but really... You should pity him. He's going to have a hard life, and it'll be of his own making. And shame on his parents for making their child this way and inflicting others in this manner. Why is it your responsibility to even to do anything, much less "make" him listen and behave? I'm also willing to bet at least one of them have this same behavior as well.
Given that you are simply pet-sitting, there's nothing saying you should engage the grandson. Don't even argue with him (and why are you even arguing like that with a child in the first place?). Just act disinterested when he acts all snotty. Walk away if you have to.
He's a kid.
Everyone should get over it...he's just a child.
Can't believe you're getting this angry over what a little kid says.
Annoying, yes. But you don't have to be his friend or put up with him for more than however long it takes to pet sit.
I'd just ignore him.
Having been around a child like this at length, I feel your pain OP. Those types of children are very trying, tiring and draining. Just keep telling yourself that it's only temporarily that you will have to deal with him. I've found that kids like this have oblivious parents who think it is everyone else's fault because the child is not liked.
Pet sitting normally involves stopping by the home once or twice a day (depending on the pet) and feeding/watering/possibly walking and/or letting the pet outside, maybe scooping a litter box, giving a little attention and then you go. I'm baffled as to why you would have to be around this child for any real length of time if at all. Who is watching this kid? Can you plan your pet sitting visits for times that he is not around?
It seems as though you could find some way of keeping your time with this kid to a minimum. I'd suggest that you do it.
A couple things to think about: most people who act like this have very low self-esteem, thus they are trying to make themselves feel better by acting smarter than everyone else. Underneath, they feel inadequate. Also, most humans want to be liked, and this poor kid does not know how to make people like him. He probably is rejected by everyone. Try being super nice to him, even if he's a pain. He may act better as a result. Finally, if you can't see or do this, then just walk the dogs and call it a day.
A couple things to think about: most people who act like this have very low self-esteem, thus they are trying to make themselves feel better by acting smarter than everyone else. Underneath, they feel inadequate. Also, most humans want to be liked, and this poor kid does not know how to make people like him. He probably is rejected by everyone. Try being super nice to him, even if he's a pain. He may act better as a result. Finally, if you can't see or do this, then just walk the dogs and call it a day.
Maybe it's low self esteem. But I've also seen this sort of thing in precocious kids - the type of children who could hold intelligent conversations with adults at an early age (like 3). At first, adults are fascinated, even a bit enchanted, by these kids. In fact, adults may actually go out of their way to initiate conversations with the child, ask them questions and even laugh when the child corrects them - how cute that a little 3 year old knows more about X than I do! And, I think that those kids really do enjoy and benefit from interacting with adults - they need it mentally.
But the cuteness fades as the child gets older. Their peers catch up and eventually, they too, can also hold up their end of a conversation even with adults. While a 3 year old conversationalist might be a bit of a novelty, a 9 year old, not so much....what got them laughs before now gets them frowns of disapproval. Most adapt and learn to develop closer peer relationships. For some kids, the change can be confusing.
Eventually, the kids learn to tone it down but it might take a while. Be patient.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
