10:37 PM
How to deal with your naughty children?
The kid that faces too much angry opposition can become even more uncontrollable
Naughty kids can be adorable. You know, the kind that tries playing with a bottle of water, spills the liquid on the carpet, and looks at you with innocent eyes that seem to suggest, “I did not do that deliberately. The water just fell.” Inwardly, you want to give the child a big kiss for messing it all up. But superficially, you look at him with a fake stare, indicating that he cannot let history repeat itself. That is cute.
But, there is the other kind of child. He is unbearably mischievous and shows signs of disruptive behaviour that can frustrate the parent thoroughly. This child can hit his classmate, break things if he is in a foul mood, yell loudly enough to wake up the neighbours every second hour and view disobedience as his birthright. ‘If you think I am difficult, with a little bit of effort, I can be impossible’: the thought behind this popular line applies to this child who can get extremely exasperating at times.
What can the parents of such a child do? Conventional wisdom insists that one must be patient. It is often said that a kid, if faced with too much angry opposition, can become even more uncontrollable. As long as he is a little kid, very rigid parents can keep him under some sort of control. But once he grows older, he might indulge in unmanageable activities the moment the parents are out of sight. So, while one needs to be tough, one cannot dictate terms so firmly that the child swears by rebellion once he grows up. Thin is the line of demarcation separating reasonable strictness from exceptional sternness. That makes the task of the parent a tough one indeed. Yet, the child needs to know that what he is doing is not being appreciated, says psychologist Seema Darode. She adds, “A trouble-making kid is also a hyperactive child, usually. I always advise parents to be a little strict. One cannot overdo it, but it is important to convey, with one’s body language, that one is angry. One can give him a light smack on the back if necessary, the idea being to ensure that the child learns to fear someone.”
Keeping a check on a difficult child is a formidable task. But parents and psychologists will tell you that most of them grow up to become good people… if their behaviour is monitored when it actually matters.
