5 Common Reasons Children Misbehave & What To Do

Though children are quite a handful and tend to put up one draining misbehaviour or the other at random, noting these common underlying causes of misbehaviour will help you become a more effective parent.

1. Your child feels ignored and wants your attention. Children know when you are not paying attention to them, even if you are pretending to. They especially feel ignored when you are preoccupied with your phone and may choose to do something likely to irritate you to redirect your attention. Toddlers may decide to hit a sibling or start jumping from one chair to the next – whatever it takes to get you to notice them, even if it will only get them in your bad books.

Try to spend quality time with your children so they don’t crave negative attention. In addition, you may refuse to rise to the bait by ignoring attention-seeking behaviours, creating something fun to keep them busy or simply having a few minutes of fun play time together.

2. Your child is replicating others’ examples. With children, especially young ones, it’s very important to watch your habits as they will likely imbibe and repeat them. And, what would you say when they tell you, ‘mummy, but you do it too’? It’s also important to monitor what they watch on TV, the video games they play, their online use as well as what their nannies, siblings, friends and others they are exposed to say and do to be sure they are not repeating habits or vulgar words constantly learned from bad examples around them.

Note that a child surrounded by lots of positive influence is more likely to behave appropriately as he will constantly learn and copy habits and values that reinforce your set expectations.

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3. Your child is testing limits. Children also like to see just how much you mean those rules you’ve set to guide their behaviour and if they can still get away when they break the rules. It’s therefore important to set clear rules and be consistent about implementing consequences when they err. A child that gets away with misbehaviour majority of the time is likely to continue pushing the boundaries.

4. Your child knows misbehaving will get him a treat or bribe. If your child knows you find controlling his whining or temper tantrums, for instance, quite tiresome and doing so will most likely get him a treat or some form of bribe, he will always do it to get what he wants.

Refrain from giving bribes of any sort and always try as much as possible to remain firm.

5. Your child is overwhelmed or needs more outlet for pent-up energy. Your child may have too many activities on his plate and be stressed out. Take a look at his routine – does he has enough play time? Does he nap during the day? How much sleep does he get at night? In addition, is he eating a wholesome diet? Does he know how to communicate his emotions such as anxiety, sadness, disappointment and anger appropriately? Teach him how if he doesn’t. Also, devise ways to help him relax and have more fun.

On the other hand, your child is probably very energetic and restless. In this case, he may be misbehaving because of the bottled up energy. Discourage sedentary activities and instead get him involved in more active sports or extracurricula at school to exert and keep him busy.