A lot of the times our little ones drive us crazy to the point of no return: screaming, crying, stubbornness and misbehaving. You tell them once, twice and three times to do something or to stop behaving a certain way and they don’t listen. At this point your vision gets blurry and your head foggy no longer able tolerate anything or to think straight and….the monster is unleashed.
You yell at them go into your hysteria; put them in a quiet corner, only to get them even more cranky and intolerable. By the end of the day, you are left feeling guilty for your actions and try to figure out other ways to deal with your little ones misbehaving in a way they will understand and can look up too in the future.
So what is the solution?
- Commit yourself:
Stop wishing you had more self-control and verbally commit yourself to a course of action tell yourself what you want to do and commit to it. Picture the ambiance of a quite calm home. And when tempted to shout revisit that image. - Make the promise to your little one:
When you promise your little one, the pressure doubles to make sure your promise is kept. You are their role model and keeping your promise is important to your toddler’s perception of you and the kind of person they will grow up to be. So explain to your kids that you’ve decided to stop shouting. You can even make a sticker chart to reward yourself. At the end of every day, your child decides whether you merit a sticker. This is what keeps you accountable. - Stop, drop and breathe.
Do this every time you notice yourself raising your voice or about to raise your voice. Stop talking, as soon as you notice yourself losing your temper. Take a minute to relax and re- think a better approach to handle your current situation. - Take a Deep Breath.
Take a deep breath, now you have a choice about how to act. Remind yourself: your child is acting like a child because he is a child!
Look at your child and say, ‘I’m working hard to stay calm. I don’t want to shout. Let me calm down and then we’ll try that again, okay?’
Does this work with you? Have you tried any similar approaches? Tell us about them…
