Anyone who has children knows the situation: the child does not do what they are supposed to and does not listen to you. There are moments here where sentences slip out that unfortunately fall on deaf ears with the children. But how should you do it better? Here I have 8 tips for common situations:
Parenting – 8 helpful tips
The child does not want to go home
You have already told the child 3 times that you want to go home now, but your child does not come and just keeps playing or gets terribly upset because they want to keep playing? The famous "I'll count to 3, and then..." doesn't help here either.
Better:Tell your child in advance when you want to leave and agree that you will warn them in good time. It is best, for example, to go to your offspring 10 minutes beforehand and tell them to finish playing, because the agreed time to go home is approaching. It is also best to explain to your offspring why you have to go home now. In the evening, make sure that your child can finish watching their favorite show – because you wouldn't want to be torn away in the middle of your favorite movie either.
The child is picky about food
Mealtime and the child is bored, poking around at the vegetables on their plate? Sayings like "The children in Africa would be happy to have such food" clearly leave children cold because they don't know what to do with the problems in Africa.
Better:Try this: Let the child eat only what they want, but continue eating normally yourself. You will see, at some point they will start to take an interest in your dish.
The child does not want to tidy up
You keep telling your child to tidy up, but everything stays as it was? Parents often comment: "Why do I have to say everything 3 times?".
Better:Constant yelling makes children "deaf". It is much more effective if you go to your child, look them in the eyes and say clearly and distinctly what you want.
The child screams when they don't get something in the store
Your child sees a sweet in the store and after your "No" they start to scream? Parents often say: "What will people think?" – but you won't achieve the slightest thing with that.
Better:Pay no attention to the child (and also to the people looking angrily!). If the child notices that they are not attracting any attention with their screaming, they usually stop on their own.
Another idea:You are buying something and your child would also like to pick something out, that's understandable, right? For example, agree when grocery shopping that your child can also pick something out (of course within your price range). My children were always super proud when they were allowed to pick something out themselves from the sweets/cereals etc., and shopping was no longer such a problem for us from that point on.
Your child is constantly fiddling with something
Constantly finger in the nose or on their pants and you don't want that? Spare yourself saying: "You don't do that", because children don't know what you do or don't do.
Better:It is better to explain to the child right away why you don't want that.
The child won't come along
You just want to go shopping and your child stops at every corner and looks? Often one tries with the sentence "If you don't come now, then I'm going alone!" But that usually doesn't help either, because the children are so engrossed and don't hear you at all.
Better:If your child is marveling at something (many treats on the shelf, etc.), just marvel along with them, so they feel taken seriously and there is no screaming.
The child is constantly acting silly
Your child is fooling around while eating and does not listen to you. Such situations sometimes lead to threats like: "You're going to a home for difficult children".
Better:Avoid such sentences, because withdrawal of love is harmful and the child really believes that you want to get rid of them! If your child absolutely does not stop fooling around, take them aside and express your own feelings, such as "I am sad because...", "I am annoyed because...".
The child does everything the friends do
Your child absolutely wants to do everything that their friends do? Many parents want to encourage their child to think critically and like to say: "If everyone else jumps off a cliff, will you jump too?"
Better:This statement does absolutely nothing for the children. There are 2 possibilities here, either you express a clear "No", or you watch the series together, for example, and then discuss with your child what is so great about the series. That encourages the child more to think about it and to engage with it.
Stock photo, meinhaushalt.at
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