Hello parents! Do you have young children with uncontrollable, impulsive behaviors?
Do you have power struggles with your unwilling, rebellious teenager?

Well, I have many suggestions that will help you decrease the punishing, yelling, and fighting. These tips will help you increase the communication, openness, and trust.

Teenage Children

For teenage children, start by committing to keep your voice at a low tone. Children model their parents’ behaviors, therefore if you yell, then they will yell. Secondly, focus on strengthening the relationship so that when you set limits or hold expectations, they will want to please you.

Set out a portion of each day to focus on your child. Third, stop punishing and ensure that your teenager is aware of the non-negotiable rules. Next, set clear expectations of what matter to you and foster accountability.

Lastly, provide whatever support is necessary for your teenager to meet your expectations.

If teenagers are unaware of how to complete a task properly, then their parents must teach and model the correct behaviors, such as how to ask a question politely, or how calm down when they are upset, or how to wash the dishes.

Young Children

For parents of young children, it can be much easier to redirect bad behavior if executed in the right way. First, be simple. For the young child between the ages of two and six, you must be easy to understand.

Move in quickly to correct the behavior and place your child in an environment that is safe since young children have a tendency to lash out physically when angry or disciplined. Secondly, remain consistent. Kids of every age are smart and able to sense indecision or wavering in parents.

If a child thinks for one second that they can get away with something, they will try it.

Third, give young children choices within your limits. When giving them some wiggle room each day, it provides a loving form of discipline that is likely to decrease their tantrums and acting out.

Lastly, give both consequences and rewards. One of the most important tools a parent can teach their child is that when they behave in a certain way, there will be certain consequences that follow.

Parents that have lenient disciplining styles tend to have children that behave badly and they often do not respect their parents.

I hope this information has given you some application tips that you can use within your family system.

Remember that changes in behavior is a process and does not get resolved overnight. Reinforce every positive thing your child is doing because it will keep them motivated.

Lastly, whatever you expect your children to change, you also have to be willing to change and hold yourself to those expectations.

If you want to learn more about helping your children with behavioral issues, please contact me for a free consultation.