They’re two boys, ages 8 and 12. I get they’re at that age. But I’ve been with them for 6 months, and they still have not really warmed up to me despite my attempts to try and talk to them and break the ice. The 8 year old will have his moments where he’ll want to talk and do stuff (usually he’ll just need help with something in the kitchen), but the 12 year old just completely stonewalls me unless I get them food (I did that in the beginning just to do something nice or the dad will give me money to get them something) and he’ll be nice for like two seconds. I also got them gifts after their recent soccer tournaments and they were really happy and he said like two sentences to me about their tournament. I was shocked. Other than that, he is very short with me, like one word responses and with a tone and they both can be very rude. They’re either always on the phones or playing Fortnite. I’ve had a couple of times when I’ve tried to make conversation, and the 8 year old, who can sometimes be friendly but also can throw serious tantrums and shout sometimes, told me to shut up. I told him he shouldn’t say that, and he told me that I yapped too much. I told him that was really rude and I forgot what he said but later that day I told his dad what happened. That was a couple of months ago. Today I knocked on their doors to say hi. Then I opened the younger one’s door to say hi and he yelled at me to get out. I was shocked since he hasn’t done that in a while. I said that was rude and he started saying something irrelevant. Later, the older one kept repeatedly shouting at his video game (albeit in his room) but it’s this screeching that he does that vibrates throughout the whole house and the walls are thin. So me and his younger brother are being subjected to this, and I tell him to please keep it down and he shouts “why” from his room. I say because you’re being very loud. He continues the same ungodly screams and I finally knock and open his door and ask him to please keep it down once again. He pushes against the door while he says no as if to close it on me but I keep it open to tell him it’s not okay to be that loud. He then proceeds to tell me that I chew with my mouth open (kids lol bc idk where he got that from. I don’t even eat around him, he’s in his room 99.9% of the time😭😭) and I’m like you know that isn’t true but whatever. You know that me asking you to not scream the whole night is not an unreasonable request and then I close the door.

But yeah, I’m just like… where am I going wrong? Previous kids I’ve nannied weren’t even close to being this bad. I understand their parents are recently divorced so they may be having a hard time, but I also believe part of it they just don’t have proper manners either. They just weren’t taught. And I try, but they don’t listen to me. It’s a shame, I don’t know what to do. Any advice what to do here is greatly appreciated. Thanks!