The Kid Behaviors That Drive Us Crazy
You are now an expert in all things related to babies and children because you have become a parent, right? Straight up! When you see a child acting in a way that is not in line with the parenting style you have chosen, it’s time to smugly roll your eyes and wrinkle your nose. What makes us (quietly!) angry about other people’s children?
Snail Trail
Do you know the child with a green slug hanging out of his nose all the time? For crying out loud, wipe it! Teach the child how to blow their nose. Do not let anyone near my angel, because they are germs! Germs!
Fancy tastes
Here’s another reason to pout: the little girl trudging along with a handbag that is more expensive than yours. No fair! What is she up to? Crackers? Crackers? Who would buy such a thing for their children? She also probably drinks her juice only from champagne glasses.
Case of the Squeals
It is a fact that most children are noisy and loud. But what about those incredible screams and squeals that you hear from toddlers all over, and that seem to be unheard by their parents? This is a great time to teach your children the concept of ‘indoor voices’.
This little lady can’t get by with just one dummy.
Dummy Lover
Does that five-year-old still suck a dummy as if their life depended upon it? They’ll have to bring it with them to school. Move along, people! There’s nothing to see.
Bullying Behaviour
There are always some preschoolers who are outright bullies, and they are not reprimanded. They are the kids who push other children over on the playground or smack and bite everyone. Or steal toys from other children without sharing. Steer clear!
Rude Guest
Was that three-year-old the one who told me off at my house for refusing to let them draw on the sofa? Or tell me that I have arranged my flowers incorrectly? What happened to manners?
Talk about picky eaters – they’re the ones who insist on only eating junk food or tell you that they’ll only eat white food when you have already offered them a variety of healthy and delicious homemade treats.
These kids are also rough with things that they don’t own – often breaking toys, ornaments, and other items when you’re not looking. Annoying!
Angel in the Cafe
What makes some kids sit in restaurants and cafes with their parents and color (without screens), without a single cupcake falling to the ground? Are they robots or are they just a bunch of kids? That’s not normal, is it? If only I could get my kid to do that…
What is it about the kids of other people that you secretly dislike?
Parents: Our kids Will Make us Crazy
How can our children drive us so crazy?
My first reaction is to ask, “Are they talking about my child?” When teachers or bosses say that my daughter is intelligent, capable, and responsible, I immediately think, “Are they talking about me?”
She knows exactly how to get me on the last nerve and push all of my buttons. I am the only one responsible.
My daughter was two weeks premature. It was the first time in her life that she was born early. We were always saying “Me Do!” I do!” “I do!” Since then, we have had many similar conversations.
I spent a lot of time asking her opinions, how her day was, and for any kind of information. She is very stonewalling and gives me blank faces or one-word responses.
“Yes. No. IDK.”
(IDK or I Don’t know in teen-speak)
She gave me an amazing Mother’s Day gift. Henry VIII’s six wives appear on the mug. The wives vanish when you fill the cup with hot liquid.
History and tea – the perfect gift! She knows me better than I do. This has always been the case. My parenting style and her personality are complete opposites. She is the most passive-aggressive person I’ve ever met.
She has never seen anyone as energetic and enthusiastic as I am. She’s Garfield to Odie and Grumpy Cat for my frisky, eager puppy.
Our personalities are a disaster waiting to happen.
She was only 2 years old when we had our epic showdown. She wanted to open a new box of Kix Cereal. I said no.
The floor was covered with snowy mounds containing little round cereal pieces. In the following two hours, I made her little hand pick up every single Kix piece and place it in the box. She glared at me with an evil death look all afternoon. I returned it to her.
I “won’ because I am bigger. Was it winning?
I knew that if you don’t take charge of your children when they are toddlers, then you won’t win the war when they grow up. I didn’t realize how bad a job I was doing. In retrospect, I only realized there were better ways to raise this child than being right all the time.
In the Girl Scout troop of my daughter’s elementary school, 13 girls were present. I came up with a brilliant-beyond-brilliant plan to deal with my eye-rolling child.
Every week, children would move houses. Everyone knows that kids behave better when they are with other people. Other people’s children would behave better for you.
I was surprised that no other parents in the Girl Scout troop seemed to take me seriously.
My frustration as a parent is not unique.
When he talks about his son, a dad in my church grinds teeth. It’s true, I don’t have any problems with his son. He is highly intelligent and motivated. I proposed my “Child a Week swap” idea. The father loved the idea, but his mother was not as enthusiastic.
I love her back. I love her back. Thank God, her younger brother does not have her personality.
This is not something I want to go through again.
My Child is Driving Me Crazy and Punishment Doesn’t Work
Do you worry about taking your toddler to the store, for fear that they will throw a tantrum on the floor?
You’re exasperated after a long discussion with your child about whether or not she can wear the princess dress to preschool for the fifth consecutive day.
You may find it helpful to know that you are not alone. Even though you’re a great parent, it’s not easy to navigate the first years of parenting.
They are at a stage where they are becoming more independent, and discovering who they are as individuals. The children are beginning to realize that their actions have an impact, but they still lack self-control and do not think rationally. This is a difficult combination to manage as a parent, and punishing them for their bad behavior will not work.
In reality, children learn little from punishment.
The Model of Parenting
The model of parenting that we all use is not the best for your child because punishment does not teach new skills or improve future behavior.
Shaming and punishing your children will only cause them to feel insecure and ashamed. Your kids will become less trusting as they age. They may shut down keep secrets, and even lie more. It’s not something we set out to do with our parenting.
It’s time to adopt a new parenting model that works. It’s about time to adopt a parenting style that encourages positive interactions and communication with your child.
Respectful parenting allows our children to learn and understand us better. Positive interactions, even when disciplining your children, create a climate of respect, build self-esteem, and encourage your child to take responsibility for his or her actions.
Positive Communication to Support Behavior Change Is:
- Calm
- Provides objective and non-judgmental information about behavior.
- Flexible and tentative to accommodate for errors, different opinions, and possible.
- Specific to the situation. Does not include words such as “always” or “never”.
- Finds a positive within a challenging trait, behavior, or situation.
When parenting toddlers or preschoolers, we can expect some rough days. Misbehavior is often triggered by certain situations or times of the day. Remember that punishments are not helpful and can even be destructive in some instances.
Keep your cool. (This topic will be discussed in a future blog post.) Remind yourself that positive and calm communication can influence real behavior change in your child.
Positive communication should make you feel good about yourself and your children while maintaining your relationship. We intentionally want to achieve this with our parenting.
You are not alone if you struggle to parent differently or need help implementing positive parenting strategies.
It can be difficult to change patterns of behavior and confusing to try something new.
What To Do When Your Kids Are Driving You Crazy
My shoulders tightened. My head throbbed. My blood was boiling.
Then for what felt like the hundredth or more time, I heard a raised voice, followed by a loud thump…and then a wail. It was my two boys again.
Both of them sounded furious and I too was furious. I had asked them to treat each other the same way they would like to be treated.
Didn’t I already tell them to play alone if they could not get along? Hadn’t I told them I had to finish my project by lunchtime?
I was ready to go down the hall and enforce the law.
Does sound familiar to you?
Children can make us lose our temper, especially when they are at home all day. It can be difficult to keep our cool.
You can take some actionable steps to help your kids, but some (most) of them will also help you.
What To Do?
You might find a simple fix that will make your children’s behavior less erratic. Try one of these if your children are driving you insane.
Check Your Triggers
Does your child get angry when they are hungry, thirsty, or tired? Like me, my older son gets very irritable when his blood sugar levels drop.
His little brother is now calling him “hangry”. We can avoid many problems if we get him a snack before the problem arises.
Does your child always behave badly at the same time? The time between 4:30 and 6:00 pm has been the worst in our home. I can’t finish my work while my kids are screaming at each other.
I have learned to prepare dinner in advance and select some calm activities for the kids so we are not all a mess when Daddy gets home.
Be aware of any patterns in the behavior of your children and fix them before they can drive you insane.
