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I have just read an interesting article about how to achieve results with kids that display bad behavior and have bad attitudes. It was an interesting article …in fact let me sum this up here very quickly for you.
This is about kids which display bad behavior such as whining about everything, or a kid that always lags behind everything …you know, a kid that always forgets something or is late for events ..I think they call that a “noodler” …or kids which display exaggerated bossiness or are always nagging about something. Funnily enough though , kids don’t just pluck behavior like this from thin air, so if you ask the parents what they were like as kids…guess what…in many instances they were probably the same.
As parents we always think these are phases which pass as time goes on and kids grow up…. they have their “waves” of new behavior patterns and they change. They get new ideas from their friends in school of patterns which works for them to achieve results with their parents and then your kids try that with you. It’s part of growing up and every kid, you as a kid were no different, tries to establish their “ground” and space in family and society. They will use their “elbows” so to speak to tell everyone…this is me..here I am..so listen to me and notice me….don’t just ignore me…. it is a natural path for every living being to establish their “self” and position in life.
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If you as a parent think that they will grow out of this phase, the answer is probably “no”. A kid will try anything to achieve results and the more results they get with a particular behavior pattern the more they will use it. I am not saying that one has to accept inappropriate behavior pattern, absolutely not. ….but just punishing is not the answer. One has to control it and control it methodically and then you are more likely to achieve positive results. ….so the first thing is …as I mentioned before, if you focus your attention on your child’s negative behavior patterns, then they can see that they are winning, because you respond to their actions. It is more advisable and more beneficial for the child for you as a parent to focus your energy into their positive behavior patterns.
Because we focus on how to get rid of bad behavior, we as parents somehow believe that pointing out wrong behavior and punishing is the answer and that our child will then understand and automatically know how to change their actions to be positive. Remember what I said just a paragraph ago – A kid will try anything to achieve results and the more results they get with a particular behavior pattern the more they will use it!
Again, I repeat, we do not have to accept inappropriate behavior pattern, absolutely not!…we should just focus our attention on the positive behavior, acknowledge and notice those positive traits and then praise our kids for it………….they will see that this is getting your attention and achieving results, thus they will keep on using that. So for us a parents, the bottom line is that we a shifting our focus from what we don’t want to what we do want.
How best to start this change of focus to fix your kids?….try this…for one week do nothing……that’s right…DO NOTHING!!…..no nagging, no reminding, no coaxing…Nothing..nada…..nix!
Now this does not mean nothing, nothing….ok!…just focus on the positive aspects and take you time to notice what your kids do well and then encourage them to do more of that and tell them why and exactly what it is that they do well….let them know that they are smart and capable and that they should keep on doing this.
Focus on their strengths and tell them what that strength is because no one likes to hear that more than kids. As a parent try to recognize their unique strengths and point that out..things like organized, funny, helpful, creative and the ability to ask for help when they need it…these are all strengths! Your kids, when they see something works for them will also recognize that they are creating their own space or position in their family and in society and that they are recognized for it, hence they will do more of it…why?…… because they like to hear the praise!
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Here is another example – when a kid is having trouble with their homework and have problems finishing it, though keeps on going and completing it…give them genuine praise…more than just “you did a great job finishing your homework”….describe it more…maybe something like”Do you know what I notice and find terrific about you? When you have a problem and are frustrated, you actually use your inner strength and staying power to solve it, and that is great to see and on top of it you can see that it works for you.” …you kid will probably be ecstatic about this, because they will not only notice that you have been paying close attention to what they are doing and making an effort to analyze it and they will consciously use this identified strength in future “hard to manage” situations.
Last not least, focus on their growth and development over the coming years. In all likelihood you will only have somewhere around 18 years with your kids and seeing them grow up and seeing their milestone achievements over the years is part of your focus. Praise them for their achievements and let them know how this will also benefit them in future. With this strategy you can help eliminate a lot of your kid’s useless behavior traits and also help your kids to learn and understand valuable information about themselves which they will remember for the rest of their lives. For you it is an investment in the positive sides, rather than the negative traits and it is also an investment in your kids future!
The bottom line is that your kids will also have a more positive frame of mind rather than hearing only about the negative things they do and as a result they will be happier, the results will be far more positive and beneficial for their future…your kids will actually gravitate towards the positive and leave behind the negative, obnoxious and useless behavior traits…and finally with all the positive results they see themselves achieving, they will also get the icing on the cake….your attention!
Bottom line to fix you kids……..focus on the positive and do nothing on the negative……….your kids will see that negative behavior will not get your attention, whereas positive behavior will. They are happier and you have less stress…a definite win:win position for everyone and that helps you fix your kids.
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