Most parents want the best for their children however, there are no set rules for being a perfect parent. Parenting is not about children, but how we rejuvenate ourselves and learn from our children.
We, as parents, want to develop good habits and mannerisms in our children. So we tend to guide or correct them most of the time on various issues like brushing teeth, cleaning up after playtime, sharing toys, or doing their daily chores. When we try to work on all the issues simultaneously it leads to more battles and struggles that are meaningless. Children could express their anxiety through different behavior issues and it’s an emotional drain for the parent.
Parents need to prioritize the habits and choose to work on one significant issue at a time. Based on the priority other issues are put on hold for time being. We need to communicate the same to the child and the most appropriate time to discuss the same could be during the special time together. This time makes the child express their thoughts without the fear of being judged and is a splendid opportunity to build healthy relationships.
This enables the child to avoid frustration with a lot of expectations which otherwise might lead to either an unconscious suppression or power struggle over multiple issues. Over some time child adapts to the required behavior and turns it into a habit for life. Then we would again pick the next battle accordingly. This leads to a win-win relationship with firmness.
Another thing to keep in mind is to break down the expected behavior into a smaller task. For eg, if we are working on “sharing” we cannot expect the child to share her favorite toy/ food initially. So, we could break it down by sharing her least favorite toy with family members and then with friends. Each time she shares, reinforce the behavior with a reward that she enjoys. Then gradually she will be motivated to share her favorite toy in return for some goodies.
So let us prioritize our battles and choose to work on one issue at a time with full participation and cooperation from the child!!