How Should I React When My Kids Do Things Like This?

[Monnaislovviees]

he other day my son was helping me get groceries out of the car, he comes out and flexes his arms telling me how strong he is. I watch him as he proceeds to reach into the car and grab the gallon of milk, from the minute he picked it up he struggled pretty significantly to carry it into the house, he basically dropped it bringing it out of the car, And he struggled even more putting it up on the table. I would have done it for him but he said he wanted to do it himself so I let him. He was so proud of himself after that. He started running around the house with his shirt off flexing his arms again and really bragging that he brought the milk in to the house by himself and that he’s stronger than all of us   I meanINSIDE THOUGHT “ calm down there  little guy, don’t brag about a milk jug you could barely lift. I just watched you flex your muscles and explain how strong you were, then struggle to even lift a simple milk jug, even when you used both of your hands and all of your body weight, you struggled literally the entire time, from the very second you picked it up. you needed me to put it up on the counter for you. Oh yeah and on top of that, You still to stay, aren’t you strong enough to open the back door.

 

Today my daughter insisted she turned off a couple of the lights that we left on as we were leaving the house, I watched her get up on her stepstool, stretch out her arms, and start jumping, still barely grazing the switch, I’m pretty sure she just got lucky given that she had to jump up so many times. She then was bragging about how she was tall and able to reach the light switches. I mean INSIDE THOUGHT “ Chill out.  kiddo, I just watched you climb up on your stepstool, stretch your arms up, and even need to jump as high as you could. You had to readjust your stepstool a good four or five times on a single switch, and on all of the switches you were jumping for quite a long time, even so once you finally got it, your finger is barely raised it. On top of that, little one, I just picked you up and put you in your car seat because you still are not tall enough to climb in yourself. 

 

So why would I pretend that they both  put in an actual good effort?  What is impressive about bringing a little milk jug inside or flipping three average switches?

[Auntypoll]

OP think of something you find difficult to do or can't do -swim? Ride a push bike? Whatever. Then think how you would react if you had put a real big effort into achieving something only to be told by someone you look up to that it was 'no big deal'. Alternative,come clean and admit this is a homework project on NPD 

[jackthehat]

Don't sweat it.

These are obviously not your children and you are querying why your brother/sister/neighbour praises their children (and tells you about it) for small things. 

It is what children do, and it is what parents do.

Please learn to do it yourself, or don't have children!

[barry1010]

This exact post was on Reddit with a different username but has been removed by Reddit's filters.

It was also on City-Data.com forum and was removed 19 hours ago and  is also on Talk About Marriage and Able to Know.

I don't know what the OP hopes to achieve.

 

[ToraToraTora]

sounds like the rantings of a just joined simpleton. What possible purpose this post serves is anybody's guess.

[douglas9401]

Trump voter.

[cashier]

A gallon of milk is not   Small jug. It would be very heavy for a small child. You could have just said thank you for helping.
What does 'you still to stay, aren't you strong enough to open the back door' mean?

[Prudie]

AB just loves this kind of post, ups the numbers and gives people the chance to practice their counselling skills and (in a minute) some to tell me off and that everyone should be treated at face value. 

It's all quite obviously an utter wind-up. Someone joins from the US and pours this out, sits back and giggles about taking people for a ride. Nice.

[Monnaislovviees]

The gallon of milk is not very big at all. But my son was using both of his hands and body weight and still struggled the entire entire time. I was saying that still to this day he isn't strong enough to open the back door. He ran up to me so excited and flexing his muscles, then he struggle the ton to just lift the milk up.

 

 

[Tilly2]

Poor kids.

[Monnaislovviees]

This isn't a wind up. I genuinely don't understand. Bringing a small jug of milk in the house isn't impressive, flipping a switch isn't impressive, claiming that you can walk really fast as you aren't even able to keep up with someone who's walking really slow, isn't impressive. 
 

Again, what is impressive about this? Why should I pretend that my kids put an actual good effort?

[ToraToraTora]

sounds like that other plonker who was on here wondering why is 5 year old was afraid of a 14 stone mastiff.

[Tilly2]

...but they did! They both tried their very best.

[cashier]

When you are four or six a gallon is heavy. Not for you as an adult, but for a child it is.

[cashier]

Because praise is the way to encourage them. They wanted to help, and did, so praise them. 

[Monnaislovviees]

OK then what about my daughter? Again she was claiming that she can walk really fast. When in reality when I'm walking with her she can hardly keep up with me and I'm walking pretty slow. And I had to carry her through the store because she wasn't able to keep up witheveryone else who was walking in the store. 
 

and here she is still saying that she can walk really fast.

[ToraToraTora]

this is some sort of wind up but I can't think to what ends.

[vulcan42]

What you are missing in this is, it doesn't matter if the children don't do a wonderful job, they are helping, albeit in your eyes not very succesfully. I know some parents go over the top in encouragement but a simple well done ensures they will want to help again. With a negative attitude they will soon stop helping and by the time they're teenagers they won't help anybody except themselves. They will, with your attitude towards them, grow up to be selfish people.

[pastafreak]

This is ringing bells for me. I'm quite certain I've read similar several months ago...on here. It was another case of why should parents/adults praise their children for doing ordinary things.

A gallon of milk weighs 8.6lbs...not insignificant for a small child.

[Ringlet]

You yourself sound very immature, and you seem to be in competition with your own children, trying to prove that they are weaker/slower/not as clever as you. 

Grow up. 

Your children will remember that you never praised them, never showed admiration for their efforts and never made them feel proud of themselves.  

Then you will be the lonely one.  

[smurfchops]

You should be grateful for your little children, you don't sound like a loving mother.  Try smiling at them, cuddling them, telling them you love them, saying how clever they are instead of putting them down.  You sound like a very miserable mother.  Probably staring at her phone all day instead of communicating with her children.