How to Take Care of Naughty Kids

Life

Part 3 Dealing with Bad Behavior

1.Tell your child what you would like them to do. If your child is behaving badly or has done something you don’t want them to do, don’t simply say, “Stop that!” Instead, tell them what you would like them to do, and what the reward will be for engaging in this different behavior.

For example, if they have yelled at their younger sibling, say, “Remember that we have a rule about yelling. If you’re feeling upset by your sister, I would like to see you walk away from her instead of yelling. When I see you do this, I will take you to see that movie you’ve been asking to see.”
You can also give the child a chance to tell you what is going on in their minds. For example, you could say, “What is your sister doing that is making you feel like you want to yell at her?” This will give them a chance to feel understood instead of just redirecting their behavior without acknowledging that they are upset.

2.Remind them of the rules. If your child is doing something that is against the rules, remind them of that rule, and the consequence for breaking it. Explain to them that if they continue with the rule-breaking behavior, that you will be forced to enact the consequence.

At this point, you can give them a choice. Explain to them that they can either stop the behavior, not receive the consequence of that behavior, and do something else, or they can continue with the behavior and deal with consequence of that behavior.

3.Follow through. Sometimes enforcing the consequences of rule-breaking can be a hassle. However, if the child has broken a rule it is important that you follow through with what you said, and that you do so in a timely manner. If you don’t, the child may learn that you don’t stick to the rules yourself, so why should they?

If for some reason, you can’t immediately enact the consequence, explain to the child that you will still follow through, but that it will have to be at a later time. Explain the reason for the delay so that they understand that they aren’t getting away with their bad behavior.

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