As a parent, you’ve probably heard about the “terrible two’s,” or that time during your child’s development that they tend to start being naughty and can sometimes get a bit uncontrollable. At this stage, the tantrums usually start, and it can sometimes be very frustrating to take care of your toddler.
That’s also why a lot of moms and dads tend to do all sorts of things to correct their child’s bad behavior. Sometimes it can be simply asking their child to go on “time-out,” while in some cases some parents even go so far as to shout at their kids to get them to behave. And while those strategies might temporarily work, it’s not a good way to go about disciplining your child.
Why do toddlers do “naughty” things?
You’ll be surprised to find out that most of the “naughty” things your kid does aren’t actually “naughty” things at all. Most of them are normal behaviors that kids go through while they’re growing up.
As kids grow older, they start to slowly understand the world around them, and they’re still getting used to everything around them. Toddlers have a poor control on their impulses, so they generally tend to do things without thinking of the consequences. Their “bad” behavior doesn’t necessarily mean that they want to get you angry or be naughty.
What should parents do?
It’s actually pretty simple. Just put yourself in your toddler’s shoes, and try to understand where they’re coming from. Instead of getting angry when your little one constantly tips over their milk bottle, why not try to understand why they’re doing it. Maybe they’re just not that hungry, and they still aren’t able to communicate that to you.
Once you start putting yourself in your toddler’s shoes, you’ll start to slowly understand why they’re acting out or doing certain things, and it’ll be very helpful when it comes to figuring out how to discipline them. You’ll save yourself a lot of stress and frustration if you just take the time to create a new approach to disciplining your child.
You’ll also start to see your toddler have fewer tantrums since both of you are on the same page. That’s because you’re slowly getting to know your child better, and you’re learning the subtle cues that give you an insight into their behavior. As your child grows older, they’ll also be able to start to communicate their feelings better, which means that you’ll understand their needs better.
Just remember, your child isn’t able to understand everything you’re trying to tell them just yet, so take the time to figure out how you can better communicate with and discipline them.
Source: familyshare.com
READ: 7 Surprising ways you can discipline your child