Ungrateful 3 year old

[ForeverBubblegum]

More a rant then anything else, but bloody DS. He just got a new (to him) bike. Was going to get one for his next birthday but as so much is still closed, I thought it would be nice to learn over the summer. So he's already doing well getting a big 'just because' present.

It's a second hand islabike, I know the brand won't mean much to him, but actually cost more then a new one at halford etc. And also much more effort because I've been looking out on Ebay/ gumtree for weeks to find one for sale locally, and within budget.

What do I get for my effort, "I wanted a blue bike, not a red bike", ungrateful little git.

He's three and doesn't know about the effort and wouldn't care if he did - one bike to him is going to be very like another and the only differing factor is the colour.

Of course you can tell him that he's lucky to have a bike at all and that all he should say is thank you, but you can't expect a three year old to appreciate your effort.

And if it were red he would have wanted a bell. I hear you OP, love them dearly but christ alive they can be very ungrateful, luckily they do grow out of it!

3 year olds have no filter and just call it as they see it. He will have no real understanding of any effort you have put in to get him the bike. I'm sure he will grow to love it. Just try to brush it off and have fun together with the bike now x

He's 3! I have a 3yo and they just have NO IDEA how much time/effort is involved in any treats. They don't mean it.

I agree with @SorrelBlackbeak he's only 3.

I do feel your pain op but you're expecting too much from a 3 year old.

Mine is the same. Apparently all 3 year olds are!

I got him a frog bike after he went on about wanting a bike. It’s been ridden twice and is sitting in the garage. He refuses to go on it.

Yep our 3 yo is like this. Got him to choose a helmet for riding his scooter, all the colours in the world available, he chooses orange. Orange helmet comes but he doesn't like it because he wants a green one

Don't take it personally. All children test and try you. Don't take anything personally.

Oh wow, he's 3! Totally normal, of course he wants his favourite colour.

He's not being ungrateful, he's not yet old enough to get the concept. You have to find a way to laugh at how ridiculous they are and stop taking it personally.

Mine are once had an enormous sulk because I stirred some food the wrong direction. They're not rational.

Can you spin him a yarn? You consulted Santa/the Easter bunny/the tooth fairy and they recommended blue as it has super speed...may as well get your entertainment somehow

3 year olds aren't grateful! They have no concept of what being grateful is! YABU however frustrating it is

He's really not an "ungrateful little git". He's 3 and far too young to understand concepts like money, budgets, brands, the time taken to find things, 'just because' presents and to distinguish between big and small presents. He can understand colour though - which he can see - and has strong preferences. They all do at that age.

Be enthusiastic with him about the bike and learning to ride it and the bike's colour will become irrelevant. Our daughter's first bike was green and she cried because she wanted a pink one. When we sold it two years later she cried again because she didn't want it to go. Frustrating but typical at that age.

‘ungrateful little git’😢
He’s 3 op. Colour will be more important than brand.
Poor kid.

Everyone knows the red ones go fastest, though.

There's no point in being rational with a 3 year old, you have to sell it in a way that makes sense for him.

We got our 3 year old a bike recently to replace a balance bike, they were interested in it for about 5 mins asked if we could paint it blue (it's green) then went off to do something else. But I didn't think they were ungrateful in fact that didn't even cross my mind as they are only 3 years old! Was your post supposed to more tongue-in-cheek than it came across OP?

He's 3 years old for gods sake.

Our DC are much older but still primary school age. We came to realize a few years ago that we do loads for them, none of which they ask for, and then expect them to be grateful. Even if I told my 9 year old that I’d spent all day trailing through the internet looking for x she wouldn’t be grateful because a nine year old has no concept of how precious my time is. We could plan a wonderful day out for them at huge expense and effort and they would be no more grateful that being taken to play in the woods begging GPs house (5 minutes away) with an ice cream thrown in. As adults we lessen to appear grateful, even if we aren’t.

Three year olds are the best. I get my entertainment from waiting for the next weird thing to set my nearly 3 year old off. For example, yesterday he cried because I parked my car facing in the opposite direction to normal. He then later got upset because I'd parked it a about a foot further down the road (I don't even know how he noticed)

They're strange little things but it's great to watch them learn.

behind and learn

Wait until he is 24 and you buy him a car.

Totally normal, of course he wants his favourite colour.

And that can change daily!

He's just being three

@Headshoulderskneesandtoes22

Our DC are much older but still primary school age. We came to realize a few years ago that we do loads for them, none of which they ask for, and then expect them to be grateful. Even if I told my 9 year old that I’d spent all day trailing through the internet looking for x she wouldn’t be grateful because a nine year old has no concept of how precious my time is. We could plan a wonderful day out for them at huge expense and effort and they would be no more grateful that being taken to play in the woods begging GPs house (5 minutes away) with an ice cream thrown in. As adults we lessen to appear grateful, even if we aren’t.

Agree with this ⬆️ we slowly cottoned on that we were expecting a grateful response to stuff they didn't really ask for anyway.

Get used to it, you have at least another 16 years of ingratitude on the way..!