How to Control Behavioral Problems of Children at Home
Often a child's worst behavior happens at home, where the child feels most comfortable. It is good that your child feels comfortable at home, but you still need to enforce acceptable behavior, or you can end up with a child who is a behavioral problem.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Explain to your child the behavior you expect. When your child is 3 to 5, he is old enough to understand what you expect from him. Tell him ahead of time, for example, that today you will be taking care of grandma's poodle, and that you want him to pet the dog gently and not to pick up the dog. You have explained exactly what you expect of your child in words he can understand. Then, prepare him for the consequences by telling him that if he is rough or picks up the poodle, he will not get to be in the same room with the dog for the rest of the day.
-
2
Be consistent. When you make rules, make sure you always enforce them. Do not get lazy and give in. If you do, you will be creating behavioral problems in your child because she will know she can sometimes get away with things.
-
-
3
Praise your child for good behavior. Do not be only a disciplinarian. When your child behaves well and does what he is told, tell him that you noticed how well behaved he was. Be specific with your praise.
-
4
Use timeouts. Put your child in a timeout place where there is nothing for her to do, such as on a chair in the kitchen facing a wall. Let her sit there until she is calm. Try making the timeout one minute for each year of the child's age: five minutes for a 5-year-old, for example.
-
5
When your child is a pre-teen, do not nag or get into shouting matches. If you expect your daughter to vacuum the living room by Monday afternoon at 5 p.m., for example, tell her Monday morning that you want the living room vacuumed by 5 p.m. Explain that if she does not do it by then, you will not take her to the mall on Saturday as she asked you to. At this age, they are old enough to have the punishment delayed like that if necessary. If she does not vacuum by 5 on Monday, do not take her to the mall on Saturday. If she carries on about not going to the mall Saturday, calmly point out that she could have gone if she had vacuumed like you asked.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents do not spank their children.
