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Josh Shipp, award-winning teen expert featured on MTV, CNN, and in The New York TImes, shares honest, helpful tips on how to parent effectively through some of your kids’ most annoying traits.

YOUR CUE

• Make an honest effort to see the annoying trait positively. It may be hard in the moment, but remember the trait that annoys you most now will likely be what will make them a successful teen and adult. Pause and remind yourself this trait serves a purpose.
• Nurture the annoying traits. Create boundaries and opportunities for your kids to express these traits in a constructive way.
• Empathize with parents who are going through the same thing. The best thing you can say to a parent who is annoyed with their child is, “I understand.” Provide some perspective on how their child’s behavior will serve them well in the future.

EPISODE RECAP

Sometimes, kids are annoying.

Admitting that fact doesn’t make you a bad parent, but an honest one. Although you love your kids immensely, it’s difficult not to get overly frustrated and react when they’re pushing buttons you didn’t even know you had. On good days, you’re able to keep your eyerolls and sharp responses inside your head, but on bad days . . . well, we all have them.

Josh Shipp, a father to an eight-year-old son and six-year-old daughter, is all too familiar with annoying kid traits. His son is unbelievably persistent and his daughter is bossy and stubborn. He finds himself regularly annoyed with their behaviors.

But what if instead of getting angered by our kids’ behaviors, we look at them as traits that will help them grow into successful adults? In today’s episode, parents will learn:

Why it’s easy to empathize with a kid’s behavior if it’s similar to their own

• How to see their kids’ annoying trait from a positive perspective
• How to empathize with other parents
• How to preserve annoying traits

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE