YTA

I am, by nature, a pessimist. I realized later, with therapy, that a lot of it comes from having OCD and anxiety. Also, I can be almost too empathetic, to the extent that it’s hard for me to be happy when I know there’s so much suffering in the world. People who deeply feel and are actively involved in current events often have a hard time being positive. I understand it can be frustrating for him, but this is something he can discuss in couples therapy.

And instead of making it a punitive thing, he could use positive reinforcement. Give a token for positive attitudes and earning a reward after so many tokens. Kids do imitate their parents but it’s also possible that the kids are just genetically disposed to their mom’s way of thinking.

I think the most important thing is to encourage critical thinking. So if the kids are expressing something negatively, talk to them and try to figure out the root of their thoughts. And with that you can show them examples of how not everything in the world is bad. I like to follow certain social media pages like Some Good News or even Humans Being Bros. Because pessimists need to be reminded from time to time that there is a good in the world. But It’s about finding balance. But you should never invalidate someone’s feeling because their thoughts process differently than yours.

YTA get couples counseling to work on communication, and private therapy to understand and correct this need to control everyone else’s mindset.