Q&A for How to Put Up with an Annoying Cousin

Six year olds can be frustrating. Call some friends and ask if you could go by their place to hang out or study, or even go to the library. That way you won't be bothered by your cousin and his antics. If his parents support his bad behavior, that's too bad. All you can do is try to make yourself scarce, and when that's not an option, as the older cousin, set a good example and be as patient as possible.

Tell them that they're being disrespectful and ask them to stop. If they refuse, either ignore them or tell an adult.

Just ignore him. If he persists, tell his parents, or have your parents talk to them about it.

Lock your doors or tell him/her in a firm way that touching your stuff without permission is not okay.

Silence is the key. If you are not the quiet type, try bringing up something you have that your cousin does not. If you are watching television, increase the volume when she begins to talk, then she may keep quiet.

Bring up some real grownup issue that she has no idea about (e.g. loans, politics, laws, etc.) and stun her with your knowledge and her ignorance.

Stay away from them. You don't have to avoid them, but don't engage in a long conversation with them.

Don't respond -- at all -- to anything they say. After trying to get your attention for twenty minutes, they'll quit.

Take the cat away. Put it in a separate room and, if necessary, tell an adult that your cousin is being abusive towards the cat.

Tell him kindly that he should not talk while you are talking. Then, if he does it again, say the same thing more sternly, and continue to do so until he gets the message.

You can sit down with her and try to talk to her about her behavior, and possibly offer her some other activities to do while you are doing what you want to do. You can also talk to her parents. Keep in mind, though, all she really wants is to spend time with you. Try to compromise by offering to hang out with her for a little while if she'll let you do your own thing for awhile after that.

That's the same problem I have! My cousin calms down when he sees me in pain. You can act as if you are crying, or tell an adult.

Try to remind yourself that you were little once, and people had to put up with you, too. Small kindnesses go a long way, so even if you can't stand to be around her for long stretches of time, spend a little time playing with her and showing her some affection before removing yourself to your room or someplace where you have some privacy.

It's okay to tell her no sometimes. Try suggesting games that you yourself want to play.

Bring up a topic you understand that she doesn't. For example, bring up something you've recently learned at school. Since you are older, she won't know how to respond. You could also just ignore her when this behavior begins until she realizes that she isn't affecting you.

Calmly tell them that you need space, and that you'll spend time with them later. If you don't see them very often, try to just be nice and put up with it. Family is important.

Use reverse psychology, or say the opposite of what you actually want. For example, say you want your cousin to pour you a cup of juice or something and they say no. In this situation, use reverse psychology and say "I don't want any juice."

You don't need to always respond to him/her. Just stay silent and listen. If he/she continues, change the current topic.

Repeat what he says back to him, and he might realize that he doesn't sound very nice. Or, you could just ask him not to use sarcasm around you because it bothers you.

Include both in your play. Do that and there are no hurt feelings and no need to figure out how to keep one person out of the way.

You can tell them how you feel, and why you feel that way. You can ask them to stop the behaviors that they are doing which annoy you, as long as it is reasonable. You can also talk to an adult family member about this problem, and see how they would recommend handling it with that specific cousin.

Try to distract the. If that doesn't work, tell the child you need some alone time and will play later.

Don't talk to your cousin whenever you see him. Act like he isn't there. Spend most of your time playing games on your phone or telling his mom he has annoyed you.

It's quite common for six year olds to enjoy fighting. Every time he begins to be violent, tell his parents, they will likely scold him.

Try talking to them, firmly. Say something like "I know you like hanging out with me, but I'm older than you and I need space, okay?". As for trying to make you seem bad all the time, mention how well you're doing at school, in a sport, in a hobby or whatever is your "thing" and mention it often. Also add how many people have said how great you are. Fight fire with fire!

Tell him that it hurt your feelings when he pushed you and ask him not to do it again. If he does push you again, tell an adult. Don't push him, because you don't want to escalate the situation.

Speak to your parents to see if they can have a word your cousin's parents before they come round. If there are any valuable things, make sure to put them away. If the rooms are all tidy and nothing is out on the worktops, your cousin will probably be calmer and won't be so excited about touching and breaking items.

Whenever she does this, wave at her like the pope waves at people, you know, with the back of the hand. When she asks what it means, say "I'm giving you the finger, in five languages at once".

Nobody is allowed in your personal space without your permission. Try the methods in Set Boundaries with People .

He may be using your console probably because he does not have one. Before he comes over, tell your mother that you don't want him playing on the console all day, and want to hang out with him. When he comes over and the mother tells him that, then he will probably listen, since she is an adult. If this doesn't work though, just remember that it usually is just a day and you probably won't remember it 6 weeks later.