MOTHERHOOD: How To Handle Stubborn Children 3

Hello Great Mothers! Happy New Month to you all. May this Month unfold great things for our families and us in Jesus’ name. We discussed the characteristics of stubborn children in our previous article.

We also discussed that they have some excellent traits which when properly managed can help them grow into well-balanced adults.
Today, we will discuss how we can properly manage them to harness these traits positively, to bring out the best in them.

Dealing with a stubborn child can be tasking, simple chores like washing hands after playing, and cleaning the table after eating, may be difficult to convince a stubborn child to do, simply because the child does not wish o attend to them at the time the instruction was given. This is because they always want to have their way in all things, do things when and how it suits them, and they like being independent, they don’t like being ordered around. These traits are enough to make a mother get worried that the child may grow up to be aggressive and rebellious, especially as a teenager.

The following are the steps we can take to handle stubborn children to nurture them into well-balanced adults.

1) Have a listening ear: When your child is insistent about doing or not doing something, it usually helps to listen to them and engage in an open dialogue about what is upsetting them. For instance, even if the child must attend school, don’t just force the child to go, if they are acting out. Find out why the child isn’t interested in attending the class that day and paying attention. it’s possible that the child is being bullied.

2) Connects with your child: Don’t push your kid to do anything they don’t want to. The child will get more adamant as a result and do exactly what he/she wants. Therefore, if you want your child to take a nap after school but he or she insists on watching his or her favorite cartoon, try sitting down with the child to watch television for a while while you discuss the value of taking a rest after school to relax before doing anything else.

3) Make sure your home is peaceful: It is important to make sure the child always feels at home secure, happy, and comfortable. Since children learn by imitation, be courteous to your spouse. You must keep the peace at home and refrain from getting into fights because children typically mimic what they see.

4) Provide Options: A stubborn child will be more adamant if the child feels being ordered to do something. Instead, provide them with options so they can choose from them, as this shows them that they are capable of autonomously deciding what to do. Only provide two or three options to restrict the number of options and prevent misunderstanding.

5) Communicate more often with your child: It’s crucial to communicate. This improves parental-child communication, which over time tends to lessen adolescent abrasiveness and instances of stubbornness. Additionally, consider spending more time with your children because you can gain their trust and get them to obey you more frequently than you might imagine by doing so.

6) Be patient with your child; avoid yelling at stubborn kids. A normal chat between you two could quickly devolve into a shouting match due to the child. Your remark can be interpreted by your child as a call to an argument. Things will only become worse as a result. So, rather than yelling at your child when he/she insists on having their way, try to explain to the child why he/she needs to do something or behave a certain way.

7) Make sure they are aware of the benefits of sharing. Try instilling the same virtues from the very beginning. Children who understand the art of sharing (toys, sweets, etc.) with others (friends or siblings) tend to be less stubborn than those who do not.

8) Make sure they understand what is wrong or why being stubborn is bad. The outcome might not seem promising at first, but it could have an impact in the future.

9) Appreciate them for their good conduct.

10) Always make sure to keep your word and inform your child if you are unable to do so. By doing this, the likelihood of stubbornness is reduced.

11) Above all, commit your kids to the Lord. Keep on praying for them.

Records have shown that traits possessed by stubborn children can make them outstanding in their academics as well as in their life of work if handled well. This is because they hardly give in to peer pressure which helps them stay away from wrong things, and also they have a strong desire to be committed to what they believe in.

Has this been helpful?
Kindly share your thoughts.
Bye!