How To Deal With An Ungrateful Teenager

• What is gratitude
• What does being grateful mean
• Why is gratitude important
• Why is my teenager so ungrateful
• How to deal with an ungrateful teenager

“My teenager is happy and well-adjusted. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of raising him so far. The problem is that he is totally ungrateful for everything I’ve done for him. How to deal with an ungrateful teenager?”

Does this sound familiar?

Parents often express similar sentiments during their child’s teenage years.

They work hard to provide for their children and strive to be good parents.

Yet, their teenage daughter or son do not appreciate them at all. It breaks their hearts.

Having an entitled teenager hurts.

No parent wants to raise an entitled, disrespectful teenager who does not appreciate their parent’s efforts.

What is gratitude

Gratitude is the appreciation one experiences when somebody gives you good things, whether it is tangible like a gift, or intangible like kindness or help, out of altruism even when they don’t need to. It is a virtue and a moral emotion^​1​.

Gratitude that is not freely given and motivated by some specific feeling of gratefulness will not seem genuine.

It is a moral emotion that implies benevolence.

What does being grateful mean

Being grateful means to be thankful for someone who has helped or done something kind for you.

We are all familiar with the feeling of being grateful – when we receive a gift, we are grateful to the person who gave it to us.

We recognize that others need not have done this, but they did it out of goodwill toward us.

Why is gratitude important

It is a wonderful feeling for parents to receive gratitude from their children.

It reflects the value and love they place on their children.

The importance of gratitude in children cannot be underestimated.

Gratitude a child feels for their parents can be a powerful force in their lives that can help them succeed.

Gratitude is associated with greater life satisfaction, optimism, well-being, and less depression and envy compared with less grateful people^​2​.

People who are grateful show more prosocial behavior and traits^​3​.

Additionally, gratitude is a human strength that enhances one’s personal and interpersonal relationships. Gratitude benefits society as a whole.

Why is my teenager so ungrateful

Like kindness or respect, gratitude needs to be modeled and taught.

One common mistake parents make when dealing with an ungrateful teen is to scold them, punish them or impose “natural consequences”.

Taking away possessions or telling them, “I have done so much for you. Why can’t you be thankful?” will not make someone feel grateful.

To feel grateful, one needs to recognize that this source of goodness is outside help given by another person intentionally and altruistically, often at the expense of their own benefits, for which this person does not ask for anything in return.

This last part is crucial to understanding gratitude.

Let’s say one of the family members did something nice for you, but for whatever reason, you didn’t say thank you right away.

Perhaps you were distracted, too tired, too excited, etc.

Then this person came to you and said, “Hey, you didn’t thank me for what I did for you. You’re so entitled.”

Do you still feel gratitude for this person’s “selfless” act now?

The act no longer feels altruistic, selfless, doesn’t it?

They expected your appreciation and demanded it.

Even though you may still be grateful for what they have done for you, being forced to thank someone doesn’t feel right.

Some teenagers probably feel the same way.

When we accuse our teenagers of not appreciating their cell phone or video games we provide, we feel a sense of entitlement to their gratitude.

We feel they owe us something.

In most cases, they do.

But when we demand it (especially with an accusatory tone of voice), any desire to express gratitude, if any, fades away.

Also See: How to discipline a teenager who doesn’t care about consequences

How to deal with an ungrateful teenager

Don’t demand gratitude

Here’s the thing…

Parents decided to have kids. Kids did not decide to have parents.

Being a parent and bringing a vulnerable human being into this world means we agree to provide for and protect that person. That is a responsibility, not an act of charity.

This is not to dismiss the many heroic acts, sacrifices, and a lot of time that parents spend raising their kids, but to point out that many of the things parents do are exactly what a responsible adult would do.

Here’s an example …

Imagine you are at a restaurant and a waiter brings you food. You thank them when the food arrives quickly.

Do they deserve recognition?

Of course. Should they demand recognition if you forget or are distracted?

That is the subtle difference some parents make when they lecture their teenagers for their ungrateful attitude.

They are demanding their teens to thank them for doing things responsible parents would do.

Gratitude is an emotion that must be felt in order to be expressed authentically.

If you want your teenager to be thankful, you cannot demand gratitude.

Unless, of course, you want them to say “thank you” heartlessly.

Also See: Parenting Teens With Ease

Point out ungratefulness respectfully

When your teenager shows a lack of gratitude or a disrespectful attitude, you can point it out without being insulting or calling names.

Do not use words such as “entitled”, or “brat”.

As an alternative, you can say, “Your parents just gave you gifts, but instead of being grateful, you complain about not getting enough. Why do you feel that way?”

In addition to gratitude, you are teaching them how to disagree respectfully.

Avoid blaming and shaming your teenager and instead ask thought-provoking questions.

Help them understand what the problem is and explain kindly why it is good to appreciate what they have.

Instill values, not materialism

Does your teenager associate material things with your love?

Many parents use materials to make up for not having enough time to show their love for their teenagers.

They are being taught that love and materials are the same things.

Instill the value of love and kindness and how it’s different from materialism ^​4​.

Make time to connect with your teenager in a meaningful way to strengthen the bond between parent and child.

This must be a priority in your family life.

Your teenager will listen to you more when you teach them about gratitude if you have a good relationship with them.

Help teenagers notice the kindness others have shown them

We tend to notice negative emotions more than positive ones because emotions help us understand the environment.

Knowing where danger and potential threats are can save our lives.

That’s why negative emotions such as anxiety or frustration tend to get more of our attention.

But positive events are less critical because all we need to do is continue what we’re already doing, and nothing has to change.

This may lead to positive events going unnoticed.

To help our teenagers feel grateful, point out when things go well for them.

Help them understand or remember the reasons and people behind those occurrences.

For instance, “The lady just picked up and gave back the wallet that you dropped. That is so kind of her.”

Teach them empathy

Help your teenager develop empathy.

Empathy allows us to recognize intentional acts of kindness^​5​.

An empathic teenager understands that when someone is kind to them, they benefit even though the individual didn’t have to do it.

Empathizing with your teen when he/she is facing a negative emotion is a great way to build empathy^​6​.

Show your child that you understand what they’re going through by naming their feelings and describing the impact on them.

Help them regulate negative emotions

Being miserable and powerless over negative emotions makes it difficult to be grateful.

The teen years are a time when teenage brains undergo massive changes, resulting in mood swings.

So, it is important to teach teenagers emotional regulation in addition to empathy. 

Children develop self-regulation when their parents are responsive, nurturing, and warm^​7​.

Emotion coaching by parents is also an effective way to teach emotional regulation.

Show your gratitude toward your teen

We often underestimate how much children absorb from the environment. Our children also learn things without us realizing it.

They pick up our feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Practicing and valuing grateful expressions starts with parents.

Parents who value gratitude will have children who are grateful too.

How can parents practice and express gratitude?

The most direct way is to thank our children when they show acceptable behavior.

One common parent response is, “Why should I thank my child for doing her chores? They’re supposed to do it.”

But then, why should our teenagers thank us for taking care of them?

As parents, this is what we’re supposed to do, right?

Even though we do what we’re supposed to do as parents, it’s still nice when our kids acknowledge our efforts.

This is also true for teenagers.

Thanking them for their efforts is the best way to teach them gratitude.

Encourage your teenager to volunteer

Forging supportive social relationships depends on expressing thanks and being generous.

Generosity not only helps strengthen relationships with others and cultivate gratitude but also helps children to learn what it means to be kind to others and to appreciate kindness^​8​.

Encourage your teenager to volunteer regularly.

It is a simple act that teaches them a lot about gratitude. 

Also, find ways to motivate your child to be generous.

For example, they can donate toys, clothes, or gifts they received from others.

It doesn’t hurt to keep a gratitude journal

A few studies have shown that journaling can increase gratitude^​9​.

However, the results were not easily repeated in subsequent studies.

Careful examinations of those research showed that the inconsistencies were due to the design of the experiments or the way volunteers were recruited^​10​.

It doesn’t hurt to encourage your teenager to think about and write down what they feel grateful about on a regular basis, even if it isn’t a completely reliable method.

This deeper thinking will prepare them to become independent adults as part of teen development and their life experience.

References