-by Carol Welcher
During the developmental stage of 2-4 years of age, children are supposed to push boundaries, manipulate, and tease. This how they learn how much power and control they have in their world. It is not something bad that has to be stopped. Children are supposed to do it. It is not your job as a parent to stop the teasing and manipulating. It is your job -- the of handling annoying behavior in ways so that you stay detached and it allows that stage to come and go in its natural progression.
Staying detached means keeping your emotions in check. Avoid getting angry. Avoid getting frustrated. Avoid adding you emotions to your children’s. Kids have enough of their own emotions without parents adding theirs to the mix. Children need parents to remain calm, loving and firm. If you understand that the pushing and manipulation are a normal part of development, it will help you to stay detached. It’s how children learn.
I have a problem with my granddaughter aged three and a half years. She hurts our pets (both dog and cat). Completely out of the blue, completely unprovoked she hits them, hard with something. Our poor pets are terrified when she comes. She’s done this ever since she started walking. She has for the last 3 months or so slept over with us. She’s adorable and granny and granddad go to extreme lengths to see that she enjoys herself. So much so that she doesn’t want to go home (mum’s recently had a baby boy). We do always tell her that “in our house you may not hurt the pets” and do tell her off sternly. But I just can’t understand this behaviour? Can you shed any light on this behaviour?
handling the annoying behaviour of the children is one hell of job because they always think to their behaviour in a funny way but the damage they done is noticeable. I think to some extent its a good stance for them to develop such a behaviour of not loosing their build in capabilities but to keep an eye over them should be done by the parents