Managing Children's Behavior

It is challenging to be a parent or guardian because children’s personalities are different. Sometimes they are being friendly, the other times; they are doing some defiant behaviour. It can be from their tantrums, not putting on their shoes, and you don’t know how to handle when they’re behaving like that.

As a parent, it’s just normal to be figuring out what to do. If the right roadmap is provided, I’m pretty sure parents would want that. But there are many techniques that you can do as a parent so that their behaviour is regulated.

It is imperative that you first know what kind of behaviour you want to encourage in your child. You should be specific, measurable, and observable. This will show if encouraged or bad behaviour is evident.

Examples of well-defined behaviour could be: starting homework on time.

Some things you have to remember about your kids:

Never assume that your kids already understand what is expected of them. You have to spell it out and elaborate. For every situation demands change, and when children don’t know what to do, they will most likely misbehave.

Talk to your children face-to-face instead of yelling at them and thinking that they understand.

If transitions are happening in your family, such as a new helper coming in. It’s recommended to tell your children early so that these changes don’t just catch them off guard.

Don’t ask your children a lot of questions at the same time. This might bring anxiety and stress, and when they don’t understand their emotions, they’ll most likely cry or have a tantrum.

When you are giving them instructions, share it step by step. Most likely, if you bombard them of what to do, they won’t be able to absorb it and struggle to remember what you want them to do.

What you should do

Be sensitive to the situation. Consider factors such as hunger, fatigue, anxiety. When you understand that, it’ll be easier for you to manage your child’s behaviour and not get frustrated immediately.

Have a conducive environment: This means that when doing their homework, remove other distractions like gadgets, toys, or by giving them snacks. Help them to have an organized study place. Schedule some breaks, too, since a child’s attention span is always limited.

Set clear expectations. Your child will cooperate more when they know what you want, and they understand why you like that. You can sit with them and talk, and this will benefit you both to avoid any misunderstandings.

Provide countdowns. For example, they are using their gadget for fun. If you tell them that it’s sleeping time already, don’t just say time’s up. Instead, tell them the remaining minutes they can use their gadget. For example, 10 minutes left, 2 minutes left.

Empower them by also asking them a question. For example, “Do you want to take a shower after you eat dinner or before?” This makes them feel that you value what they want, and it also encourages them to be a good decision-maker.

No one is perfect, and parenting is a challenging thing. But always take it one day at a time and remember that you and your child are different, and sometimes it’s not comfortable to be dealing with another personality. So be patient with them and show them they are loved even if they offer some unwanted behaviours.