This one hits me this morning. We took in 2 foster kids in March (11 & 13) and have been really struggling lately as the honeymoon is fading. The amount of verbal control they try to exert to 'correct' small things we say, especially our 7 year old, affects the mood of the household. I know it is learned behavior and our acceptance is influencing them. But damn, the process of change is exhausting!
Discussion
Wow, that's a big task! Very, very fair to be exhausted!
Being a kid is tough. You're smaller than everyone, you can't properly take care of yourself. You're in a very vulnerable position and you know it. For most kids, and especially so if you come from a volatile environment, persuasion/emotional manipulation is the most effective tool that you have.