Now I consider myself a total expert in this area! Not just because I’ve done a load of research into this area, but mainly because I have a super-strong-willed daughter who will not just DO something when you ask. No, that would be too simple…. :-)
But I’ve found the way to get her to co-operate with what I need her to do (most of the time!). So here are the tactics that really work.
What is it with the hitting?! If your child is anything like mine, he or she sometimes gets into an out-of-control hitting frenzy. It could be only occasional, or maybe it’s turned into a real phase.
Actually this is very common – and it’s completely normal behaviour for toddlers and preschool kids (and even school-age kids).
So why is the hitting happening? And what can we do about it.
I know I'm sounding controversial with this week's blog title! But I'm not actually being that extreme - locking your child in the laundry is truly one of the discipline recommendations of one of the most widely accepted parenting approaches in Australia and overseas.
While there are many good things about this program, I want to take issue with this recommendation.
Why do they tell parents to lock their kids in the laundry?
Many of us were taught as kids that it was not okay to feel strong emotions - high excitement, anger, sadness, fear were all frowned upon. Settle down, be quiet, pull yourself together, we were told. But the problem with that is we learnt to bottle up our emotions or try to get rid of them - resulting in pent up frustration, anxiety, depression or feeling totally disconnected from others.
We need to teach our kids a better way to handle emotions.
[Q] Argh – tantrums! What do I do when my 4yo has a tantrum? And can I avoid them happening? It’s so embarrassing having him meltdown in front of other people.
[A] If you’re getting tantrums from your young child, you’re not doing a bad job of parenting! Tantrums are a normal part of kids development. Young children get overwhelmed with their emotions and don’t know how to manage them so it takes over.
Success! Look out for my fortnightly mindful parenting blog coming soon to your inbox.
