My Child Thinks I’m Stupid

When your child is still little (before starting school), they are completely reliant on you for most everything. They are learning new things, trying to figure the world out, and simply growing up and hitting new milestones. At some point though, you will start to notice that your child is becoming more and more independent. While this is a good thing, sometimes your child simply does not handle it well.

For whatever reason, some kids decide that they are the smartest person in the room. This may happen when they’re six or it may not happen until they hit the teenage years. They may come to a stage where they simply believe that they know everything, and they most certainly know better than you. While they may not call you stupid directly, they’ll let you know that they think you are with other comments.

Not all kids will act like this, at least not habitually. There may be times that they think they’re smarter than you, but they won’t constantly rub it in your face or put it back at you. Consider yourself lucky if this is your child - this is what you’d like your child to act like. You want them to feel like they know things and that there are things they have learned better than you, but not to be condescending about it.

Unfortunately, some kids will have the completely wrong attitude towards you when they start to think that they know more than you. They will ignore you, not listen to you, and may often tell you you’re stupid or dumb to your face. As a parent, this is frustrating and can lead to you feeling resentment towards your child - these are pretty natural feelings. Don’t let them overtake you as you deal with your child.

Don’t let your child control you because they think that you’re stupid. Do your best to help them see that you’re simply trying to help them with the knowledge that you have. Usually your child thinks your dumb because they actually lack knowledge to see that you’ve likely gone through many of the things that they have in the past. You may have made a mistake in the past, and now they believe you’ll always make mistakes.

While you can try to show them that you do know things, the better way is to simply make sure they know that they’ll have to do the “stupid” or “dumb” things that you tell them. If they choose not to, then there will be consequences for not doing so. Trying to cater to your child by showing them how you’re actually smart and know things will often lead them to simply not listen and believe in themselves more.

Stick to your guns. Don’t let your child control the way you act. Simply set the expectation that they will do what’s expected of them. Also, make sure that they know that they are not allowed to demean you. They can disagree with you however much they’d like, but if they call you stupid or dumb, then they will be punished accordingly. Calling names and demeaning others is not something that you should accept.

Don’t let your child control you because they think you are dumb. Simply continue to do the things that you know are right, and make sure they do them as well, even if they disagree with you. It’s a tough road sometimes, but sometimes kids have to learn the hard way.