Interviewer: Kids are the greatest blessing that God has given us, every mom or dad will say that. So why do we constantly hear such phrases as "Stop it!" and even "Leave me alone" from supposedly happy parents? Let's ask Emma Smith, who consults young mothers and will share with us today the results of the poll by www.mumpoll.com. Hello, Emma.
Emma: Good afternoon, everyone. The study I'm going to speak about has revealed the top irritating phrases of children, the ones that drive their parents mad immediately. At the top of the list are: "I'm bored", "Why?" and "Are we there yet?" This is not a surprise because we can hear these things when we are on the way somewhere probably exhausted ourselves. A study carried out among 3000 families also revealed "It's not fair", "Do I have to"? and "It wasn't me" are sure to drive mothers and fathers mad. Seven out of ten parents also mention that their kids regularly talk back to them.
Interviewer: That's not exactly what the parents expected when they were expecting. The picture perfect in their mind is an adorable toddler in trendy pants or nappies of the latest fashion.
Emma: That's certainly true for a while if you take out sleepless nights. But then kids learn to talk. Despite being adorable 99% of the time our children do have the ability to be really annoying sometimes, especially when they question absolutely everything. It's in their nature. They question things, and often their retorts aren't because they are naughty, but because they want to push the boundaries to see what they can get away with.
Interviewer: Is it normal that parents have stressful reactions?
Emma: Absolutely. When you are stuck in a traffic jam and your child says they are bored, or if you are conducting the weekly food shopping and your child announces they hate you, it's really hard not to bite back. A parent's life would be so much easier if the kids always did as they were told, rather than questioning why or how. But it would also be far more boring.
Interviewer: You mentioned the phrase "I'm bored" among the ones in the top list. How come?
Emma: Half of UK parents agreed the words "I'm bored" filled them with dread as they're usually followed by hours of whining. And the study, which revealed the top 20 most annoying things kids say showed 37% of moms and dads can't bear to hear "Why?". Despite giving a coherent and factual answer to most of their child's questions the word is often repeated over and over and over again. And "Are we there yet?" is a bugbear parents can look forward to hearing on any car journey which exceeds 10 minutes.
Interviewer: It's so nice when kids embrace you and say: "I love you, mommy". But they express negative feelings and emotions as well. Why so?
Emma: Like anybody else in the world, kids have every right to feel negative feelings and emotions. Phrases such as "I hate you", "You never let me do anything" and "I don't like it" can be hard for parents to hear, but usually children are mouthing off rather than meaning anything. Just ignore it.
Interviewer: So your final comment, Emma?
Emma: There is no doubt that raising children is a challenge from day one. But any parent who can put up with being on the receiving end of up to 20 questions or retorts a day without snapping can afford to give themselves a good pat on the back.
Interviewer: That's an optimistic thought for you here.
