|
This Site Supports
|
Alternatives Can Help to Avoid TantrumsMost parents have encountered this situation at one time or another. Your child wants to do something, or play with something that is unsuitable or dangerous and when you try to stop them or take it away all hell breaks loose. The way in whcih parents deal with these sometimes frequent situations is one of the biggest trials that they must face. Children will develop social competence and self confidence if they are provided with tolerance and praise for their positive actions. But parents must remain in charge. The typical toddler will, on average, face up to 20 restrictions on their activities every hour. Nione of us would like to be told what to do or not to do every three minutes? Parental control is often needed when a child is doing what comes naturally but putting themselves or their peers at risk in the process. Playing with knives, bashing brothers or sisters with toys and fighting are all examples of how children will test their boundaries to investigate the world in which they live. Providing the child with alternatives can be an excellent way to enable them to continue to investigate and learn. For example, changing a metal knife for a plastic one might be all that is needed. Or demonstrating how much it can hurt to be poked in the eye. Using alternatives can be a great way to effectively avoid tantrums, but they don’t always work. The first thing to do is to acknowledge what the child is trying to achieve and then to introduce the alternative. Its then important to engage the child with the alternative by using it yourself and makign it appear more attractive than whatever they were doing previously. There will be many occasions when it simply isn’t possible to provide alternatives and these can help to teach children that the world has its limits. Distracting children from risking or potentially harmful behvior with interesting and engaging alternatives will help to reinforce parental authority and teach them that altermatives are often available. ******************************************************** I recommend camping as a great way to bond with children, to provide them with freedom to investigate the world around them and engage with their parents or carers. But always remember to ensure safety by using the right camping equipment. You may like to take part in a bushcraft course where children will learn a variety of skills including how to handle a bushcraft knife, start a fire without matches and tracking skills.
|