When a child misbehaves, it is easy for a parent to lose heart or worry that the child is heading down the wrong path. At Horizon Education Centers, our discounted Toddler Care program offers opportunities for toddlers to work on social and emotional development.
In “Bright side of your child’s bad behavior,” Parenting.com reminds parents that growing up is a process.
Disobedience and Lying
Children who try to get around rules or lie are able to recognize different trains of thought and
the article says this allows them to lie to have their way but also means they can understand other people's feelings. The article advises dealing with a lie directly and announcing what your child needs to do to make up for it.
The writer cautions against seeming amused or sharing the deception as a funny anecdote because this may lead to repeat offenses, "Even though your child's first lies and attempts to fool you may be downright adorable, never laugh about it or retell the story in front of her. Toddlers and preschoolers seek attention any way they can get it."
Destructive Behavior
Parenting.com reassures parents that many children outgrow the desire to knock things over and put things into disarray by the first grade. It does help for a frustrated parent to remember, "As your child experiments, he's getting his first lessons in gravity and physics -- and also in how it makes other people feel when you wreck their stuff."
Teach your child that he or she can experiment with their own things but not to wreck other people's things. You can distract your child if you see he or she is drawn to someone else's things with that look in his or her eye. If your child does manage to topple someone else's blocks or mess up another child's puzzle, help your child put things back and guide him or her towards making an apology.
Photo Credit: susivinh
