Combating Behavior Nightmares

As a parent, battling behavior nightmares sometimes seems like it is just part of your daily life. If it is not one thing it is another. However, there are things you can do to help eliminate many of the behavioral problems in your children. Here are a few suggestions:

1. Become available-Unavailable parents often lead to children who are prone to misbehavior. If they do not have a parent checking up on their behavior, they may push the limits. Parents can be unavailable physically, meaning they are away from home a lot, leaving children with sitters, day care, or by themselves. Or, they may be unavailable emotionally, meaning that even when they are home they are not spending time with their children. Make a real effort to be there for your child. Let them know you always have time for them, will help them, and talk to them. Let them know that even when you are at work, they can call you if they need to. When you are home, check up on them, talk to them, and engage them so that they know you are there and that you care.

2. Give your child attention- Seeking attention can be one of the root causes of behavioral issues in children. They may feel neglected, or insecure about their parent’s feelings for them, and so they act out and misbehave. Take time everyday to talk to your child and ask them about their day. Spend some quality time with your child, and be sure when they talk to you that you listen, repeat back to them what they say, and make sure they know that you are not just in the room, but listening to what they have to say, and hearing them. This can help solve a number of behavioral issues, although it may take some time and consistent attention to do so.

3. Be consistent-Consistency is so important if you want your child to behave. Many times kids will misbehave just to see what their parents will do. If you make idle threats, or sometimes punish a behavior, and sometimes don’t because you are happier, or busier, then you send a message to your child that it is okay to misbehave. In order for a child to have appropriate behavior, they have to know that appropriate behavior is expected, and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. That poor behavior will be punished consistently, and the same way each time.

4. Give them better options- Children may need help with communication. Some behavior problems, like violence, or tantrums stem from not having the skills to deal with emotions, etc. in better ways. When a child is not accepted among their peers, they may start bullying in order to get attention because they do not know a constructive, or appropriate means of getting what they want. So, help your child develop their skills for communication, and develop talents that allow them to avoid misbehavior and turn to better options.