Ever looked at your child in bewilderment and asked them: “What were you thinking?!” Then you know that kids, especially teens, can make some profoundly poor decisions. Luckily, you can help them learn smart decision-making skills and manage mistakes - without ‘helicoptering’ their every move.
Does your child throw temper tantrums when things don’t go their way? Does your child hit their sibling(s) when they are mad? Does your child throw their toys across the room when they are frustrated? Often, kids don’t understand how to appropriately express strong feelings like anger, frustration, or disappointment, causing them to act out. This is totally normal. And the good news is, you can help your child understand their emotions, express themself in a healthy way, and learn how to cope with their feelings.
For many kids, building friendships comes as naturally as breathing in air or waking up in the morning. For others, the process is filled with landmines of fear, anxiety, and discouragement. Experts agree that friendship-building is a skill - it can be learned.
Recently, my youngest daughter has become reliable about brushing her teeth (I can tell because the sink is now filled with gobs of toothpaste when she claims to have brushed). Before this development, though, her routine was to pretend to brush her teeth, only for me to find a dry sink and a dry toothbrush afterward. How she went from someone determined to pull one over on her unsuspecting parent to someone who now brushes so enthusiastically that the sink suffers from her efforts was partially a matter of awaiting her maturity. But, as parents, we want to do more than just wait and hope, and there are steps you can take to drastically reduce lying and guide a child toward honesty.
Calgary’s Child Magazine © 2024 Calgary’s Child
