It’s frustrating when you always receive a call from your child’s school asking you to see the principal. However, you already know that it has something to do with your child’s behavior. Some children are aggressive at school, and they don’t have an excellent relationship with others. If your child faces this problem, here are some tips to help deal with the issue.
Stay calm
It’s understandable if you feel frustrated with the behavior. You also feel embarrassed because your child causes a problem at school. However, being angry won’t help. Instead, stay calm and find ways to help your child. Perhaps, when you feel enraged, your child thinks that it’s the right thing to do. If you want to change this negative attitude, it must start with you.
Find appropriate rewards
The reward system might help. It’s not a long-term solution, but it can somehow alter negative behavior. Eventually, your child will get used to behaving appropriately at school. Make sure the reward is proportionate to the behavior. Don’t use it all the time, so it doesn’t get abused.
Connect with other parents
If you don’t know where to start, ask other parents. Don’t hesitate to connect with them. Even if you don’t receive the best advice, it helps to have someone to talk to. These parents understand you since they’re also going through the same issue. Others are already experts since they considered different strategies in dealing with the problem over the years. Check out the Parentgood app if you wish to start now.
Teach your child to name negative emotions
Another reason why some children don’t display a positive attitude at school is they don’t know how to express themselves. They can’t even find the right word to say. Teach your child the best word to describe specific emotions. Create an environment at home where expressing feelings isn’t a bad thing. Some children have a terrible attitude at school because they can’t express themselves at home. Instead, they take their frustrations out on other students.
Praise positive behavior
Your child also needs to know that it’s not only about behavioral issues all the time. Some children feel like doing something terrible since everyone knows they’re bad anyway. Emphasize that your child is inherently good and is capable of doing good deeds.
Never give in to tantrums
If your child displays negative behavior in public, don’t give in to it. Your child might think that there’s nothing wrong with having tantrums, or it’s the best way to get what he wants.
Talk to the teachers
Stay in touch with the teachers and administrators. Let them know what you’re doing at home to help change the behavior. If there are changes at school, you should also know about them. Then, you can plan the next steps based on the progress.
There’s enough time to help your child deal with this issue. There’s no need to panic
or feel ashamed about it.