Kids are prone to making excuses, just to work their way out of a face-off. Here are the top 3 excuses according to a recent parent survey at imom.com.
I forgot
Though this might just be the truth, you have to be doubly careful about it. It is very easy for children to get deviated. When you ask them why they failed to perform a chore- “I forgot” is their stock reply. It may be a smart idea to ask them to finish a work the moment you assign it to them. Sometimes, the work does not require being done immediately. For such chores or errands, you can always have them write down the job (and keep checking daily).
It is his/her turn
This is another racket that children run. To bail themselves out of a situation, they come up with excuses like “Its Anna’s turn to clean the attic” or “I did it the last time, John is supposed to do it this week”. It must be made clear to children that parents are not fools and if they feel that a child should do a work- even if out of turn- there must be a reason behind it.
It is his/her fault
Often children play the blame game to seek exit from a difficult situation. As parents, you should explain them- “Well! Your sibling might have ‘acted’ wrongly but you are the one who ‘reacted’ equally badly. So how are you any better?”
It is important to teach your child that they can always choose their reactions in life; well-judged reactions would make them responsible humans and poor ones would make them weak individuals- a person who always keeps finding an exit route.
Do you have any top excuses that you are dealing with?
