The number of children with behavioural issues is rising year on year all across Australia and it has made life very difficult for Australian parents. Modern parents are not equipped with the skills needed to handle their children in situations where they are misbehaving to the point that they are actually hurting themselves and hurting others. Parenting should be a very rewarding thing and yet many parents experience the direct opposite. Life is difficult enough trying to hold down a full-time job without making taking care of your children a lot more strenuous than it really should be.
If you feel that your child is out of control and no matter what you do as a parent, you can’t seem to reign in their behaviour then it may be time to talk to apositive behaviour support practitioner. They will use their knowledge and professionalism to create a behavioural plan for your child which helps both of them and you as the parent. They will point you in the right direction so that your relationship with your child will strengthen rather than weaken.
Apart from getting professional help, the following are just some other ways to encourage more positive behaviour from your children.
- Give attention & praise – Every child in this world wants to get attention and especially so from their parents. Approval is very important for any child growing up and if they know that there will be a reward in terms of praise then they will continue to do the same thing over and over again. You should always recognise good behaviour when it happens but remember to give less attention when they do something that you disapprove of. You can always tell your children that you are proud of them and this will make them feel good about themselves and it will motivate them to continue on with their positive behaviour.
- Always set clear rules & boundaries – It doesn’t matter if you are an adult in Australia or a kid because we all need rules and boundaries to guide us and to point us in the right direction. Your child needs to know about your expectations as a parent and if there are any consequences if they don’t follow the rules. The rules need to be clear however and if there is any ambiguity then it is your job to explain everything more clearly. If bad behaviour is experienced then you can’t pull back on the consequences that were promised before and so you must always follow through. It is important to be consistent in your behaviour but also to be fair as well.
There are many different skills that you can learn yourself and can then pass them onto your child with regards to coping with their behavioural problems and help them solve problems more easily. Children often get angry because they don’t know how to deal with their emotions in certain situations and so it is important that you understand and teach them the skills needed.
Related Articles:
