01-01-2017, 10:35 PM
I kept hearing that this stuff started in the teen years. Phfftt. My daughter started at 9. The good news is by the teen years she was fine. Well mostly. So take heart that it can get much better rather than worse.
The best, but hardest thing is to not get mad, don't engage. Walk away. Speak quietly when you do. Anything else will escalate the situation. I didn't find any kind of punishment that worked. What did work was rewarding good behavior. Just out of the blue, several times a day, reward for being relaxed. Pleasant. And have loads of patience.
To some extent the kids have trouble with self control. Hormones are already building. There is stress at school and with friends. It's hard at that age to find a way to deal with it all. Physical activity is always a help.
The best, but hardest thing is to not get mad, don't engage. Walk away. Speak quietly when you do. Anything else will escalate the situation. I didn't find any kind of punishment that worked. What did work was rewarding good behavior. Just out of the blue, several times a day, reward for being relaxed. Pleasant. And have loads of patience.
To some extent the kids have trouble with self control. Hormones are already building. There is stress at school and with friends. It's hard at that age to find a way to deal with it all. Physical activity is always a help.