Tip 63 – Take a look at negative behavior and stop it… the right way!

A problem has a powerful way of causing your child to act out of sorts. Here are some common examples of how this pattern might develop:

• A child may be afraid of a friend’s older brother. Then he or she stops playing with his friend. The resultant isolation could then lead a parent to scold the child unnecessarily.
• A child may not understand the homework. Then he or she stops doing it. The resultant poor grades could then lead a parent to punish the child unfairly.
• A child may think he or she is not getting enough attention from his parents and then  poke his or her baby brother to get noticed. The resultant anger of the parents could then lead to giving the child even less attention.

You can break this kind of cycle by directly asking questions about the uncharacteristic actions. Here are some interventions related to the above examples:

• A child may be allowed to change the play location to his or her home.
• A teacher may be notified to help a child with the homework.
• A parent may be able to involve the child more with a baby brother or sister.

Such paths are the ones that lead to positive parenting input and a resultant increase in productive child behavior.