Showing posts with label
communicating with toddlers and preschoolers.
Show all posts
Showing posts with label
communicating with toddlers and preschoolers.
Show all posts
There I was, feeling bewildered, and standing outside the door my eight-year-old had just slammed shut after demanding her privacy.
What just happened?
We were enjoying lunch, I mentioned her dance class starting - and BAM! She turned on a dime. She crossed her arms, glared at me with a squinty gaze, and refused to engage.
Where did I go wrong? Why was she being so disrespectful?
Your children's behaviors may confuse and confound you, too. When there seems to be no rhyme or reason for their actions - when you're faced with defiance - there is one thing you can do to reconnect and teach respect.
Many deep emotions have been swirling in my head and heart lately. The pain, loss, judgment, hate, and violence that the world is experiencing is never far from my mind.
Racial Tension
Depression
War
Suicide
Terrorism
There seems to be a neverending stream of anger, sadness, and combative opinions that incite our collective fury.
It's painful but also essential to feel - to not allow ourselves to become desensitized to human suffering.
But, how much is too much?
There are strategies can we use to turn our defensive reactions into compassionate responses, so we don't lose our humanity in the chaos.
Toddler conflicts and frustration can cause you to experience a pressure-cooker-like-environment at times and believe me, your kids feel it too!
Toddlers who scream are not a new phenomenon - as anyone who has one knows. But, how often - and how loud - they scream can be impacted by a variety of factors.
For one, the emotional energy of your home has a tremendous effect on the way your child's brain deals with incoming stimuli.
Rushing around, constant chatter, noisy racket, hollering, fast-talking...
What's it like in your home?
It shouldn't hurt to ask for what we want, but what about when it does?
When kids don't immediately accept limits, it can feel frustrating. However, when we blame our emotional state on our children, they learn it isn't safe to speak up or express how they feel.
Your frustration is valid. Don't deny it - but don't displace it, either.
Own it.
Do you have a hard time not taking your child's behavior personally?
Do you get upset when your kids refuse, protest or tantrum about the limits you set?
Do your kids become inconsolable when they don't get what they want?
The first five years are a remarkable time in a child's life.
They're also quite challenging for parents as children grow from helpless infants who are entirely reliant on their caregivers to thoughtful, autonomous, and independent young people.
Communicating with small children can be exhausting, so I want to share a little secret with you...
There I was, feeling bewildered, and standing outside the door my eight-year-old had just slammed shut after demanding her privacy.
