Eliminating children's behavioral problems
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by: Dr.NoelSwanson..
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Every parent has expectations from their children, but some have unreasonable expectations. These expectations are formed unconsciously from our own wants and desires. Often parents want to see their children achieve what they themselves couldn't. This is an unreasonable expectation. It is not necessary that your child will have the same talent and aptitude that you may want him to have.
As parents, you have to pause and evaluate your expectations from your children once in a while to see if they are reasonable or not. It is, of course, very difficult to come to any definite conclusion about them, but you must try to have positive and reasonable expectations otherwise there will be frustration for all concerned.
To come to any reasonable conclusion about the reasonableness of your expectations you will have to do some research - inside and outside. Outside, compare your expectations with others; don't compare your children with other's children. Look into what the established child behavior guidelines are for your child's age. If a child at one is not expected to construct a full sentence, don't expect it from your child.
When you decide whether an expectation you have for you child is reasonable, you have to be as objective as possible. Look into what the established child behavior guidelines are for your child's age. If the established guideline is that children don't develop full sentence speech till they are at least a year old, expecting a full sentence out of your six-month old isn't a responsible expectation.
Children cannot be compared, and it is one of the most common mistakes parents make when they compare their child with the neighbor's. If your child happens to be average in studies, try your best to help him improve but learn to accept it. All children are not born to be geniuses. Your child might have some other talent; look for it and develop that instead of harping on grades.
Frustration is the other side of the coin of expectation. Unreasonable expectations will lead to serious disappointment. Allow your child to grow freely within the accepted framework of society and don't impose unnecessary standards that must be achieved. This way, you will automatically cut out child behavioral problems.
It is equally important to convey your reasonable expectation in child behavior to your child. You can formulate a set of goals in different areas of child discipline, and hold to them. Make sure to reward your children for meeting those expectations and encourage them to reach more, once they've reached one.
The key to parenting is to remember not to push your desires onto your children. It often happens that parents impose their own unfulfilled dreams on their children and expect them to achieve what they failed to do in their lifetime. Nothing can be worse than this. So, take some time out and look at your expectations and assess how reasonable they are. Reasonable expectations promote growth and positive self image and are an essential parenting skill.
About the Author
More information on children's behavioral problems can be found on Dr. Noel Swanson's website, which is all about solving Child Behavior Problems. Sign up for his FREE newsletter and 1 hour audio too.
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