Dad Gold

What are the most annoying things a 6 year old does? Let me tell you about a recent experience of mine…I invented a fun new game the other week. It was a game that my 6 year old son enjoyed AND it taught him about our solar system. It involved a large puzzle, which we did together (it was a puzzle of our solar system). The game was simple, we had to pick a planet for each other, and then stand on the planet. Who said learning wasn’t fun?

After 15 minutes, he was still excited about picking the next planet. It was a hit! I chose Venus, so he jumped on it. He chose Jupiter, so I jumped on it. Within 2 seconds, and totally out of the blue, I was struck by a direct hit on the nuts. Why?… Why would he do that? We were having fun! Now it is ruined.

Immediately, I stopped playing. I told him why, and I walked away, removing attention.

It got me thinking about a new blog post. What are the most annoying things a 6 year old does?

Let’s take a look! PS – here are some things that will help if your kid is making you angry… because one of these might just do that!

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16 Most Annoying Things a 6 Year Old Does

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1. Nut Flick

Let’s kick off with the reason that this post exists. The nut flick.

So, this is aimed at us poor dads, but it doesn’t stop at the nuts. These 6 year old kids can attack any part of our bodies if they are within striking distance. This means mom may also be a viable target, although it wouldn’t be called a nut flick.

They say that building a close bond is really important, but when you don’t want to get too close to them it makes it more of a challenge!

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2. Talking During Conversations

I am sure you know this one! You could be in the middle of a sentence and your 6 year old will start talking.

Not only does it knock you off your stride, but it is also damn frustrating because YOU’VE EXPLAINED THIS TO THEM TONS OF TIMES ALREADY!

Just stop interrupting me… please!

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3. Butt Smack

This one is very similar to the nut flick but with less pain…. less pain but straight-up annoying as hell!

It could happen at any moment, and with varying levels of force. Stay alert people. The 6 year old butt smacker is prowling.

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4. Relentless Demands

OK, I know 6 year old’s can be demanding. I get that. I am not talking about the demands of ‘I want this toy’, ‘Can I have something to eat please’, ‘Can you play with me please?’

These are all common demands that we as parents have to deal with already. I am talking about the lack of prioritization and the fact that they forget demands immediately. For instance:

• Son: ‘Can we go to kick a ball around please?’
• Dad: ‘Sure, we can do that’
• Son: ‘Can I have a snack please’
• Dad: I check the time… ‘err, OK but you need to finish it before we go outdoors’
• I go into the kitchen to get a snack, he follows me.
• Son: ‘I am bored, can you play LEGO with me?’
• Dad: ‘Are you serious? Do you want to play ball, eat a snack, or play LEGO?’
• Son: ‘Can I have a drink please?’

This is one of the most annoying things a 6 year old does!

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5. Play Up When Tired

After a full-on day, I look forward to getting some time where I don’t have to respond to anything… a time when I can just switch off.

If I leave it a little late, he is trouble, and boy do I know it.

When he is around 30 minutes late going to bed, its like herding cats! Brushing teeth, getting milk, and even laying down become a huge challenge. I mean… how difficult is it to lay down!

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6. Get Up Too Early

4.45 am wake up calls are absolutely no fun at all. We have a rule in our house. No going downstairs until 6 am.

The problem with a 4.45 am wake up call is that he is wide awake and has no problem letting me know. Nor does he have any problem reminding my every 10 minutes. This is how they should torture people.

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7. Repeat Bad Words

OK, I know this is totally my fault, but bad words tend to slip out don’t they? Come on… it isn’t just me!

Bad words slip out after things like ‘nut flicks’ so it really is his fault! The problem is that he repeats them until he gets bored. I opt for total distraction until he has forgotten whichever bad word slipped out of my mouth.

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8. I’m Bored

The immortal words of a 6 year old, just as you settle down:

I’m bored

Son, you have that many toys they are bursting out of your room, you cannot possibly be bored!

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9. Lock Phone Out

Right, right, I know… I shouldn’t leave my phone laying around. When I do, and when my son gets hold of it, he will try and type in the pass code too many times.

The result is a locked phone!

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10. Leave Clothes EVERYWHERE

Literally, everywhere. I find socks everywhere, yet he has the standard issue feet (just 2 of them). How does he need this many socks during the day!

When he gets in from school, he changes. Sometimes, he changes again before changing into his pajamas. For no reason.

Each time, the clothes are scattered throughout random places.

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11. Refuse To Eat Stuff They Have Not Tried

• Him: I don’t like it
• Me: But you haven’t tried it
• Him: I still don’t like it
• Me: Try it, just one time
• Him: No
• Me: You will like it
• Him: I won’t

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12. Desperately Need A Poop Just As You Settle Down

You think you have found the perfect time to disappear for some time in the toilet. We all need to go!

10 seconds after you sit down, there is a knock at the door.

‘I need to pee’

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13. Waste Electricity

I walk up the stairs, and if he has been up there, the following will be true:

• The landing light is on (even during the day)
• His bedroom light is on (even during the day)
• He has music playing

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14. Leave Toothpaste In The Sink

Don’t get me wrong, it’s great that he brushes his teeth without me prompting (most of the time), but I know when he has done it because he leaves it all in the sink.

Oh, and the lid is not on the toothpaste. Oh, and there is toothpaste on the floor… so is his toothbrush.

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15. Sticky Hands

I could put him in a room with nothing else in it. No food… no juice… no milk… nothing. He will still come out with sticky hands.

Honestly, I’ve no idea how, or why. All I know is that I am always wiping stuff down.

One of the most annoying things a 6 year old does if wipe their sticky hands on just about everything!

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16. Inconsistent Walking Patterns

Walking with my son is a great bonding experience, but occasionally he will get in front of me. When he does, I am forever adjusting my walking to accommodate his inconsistent walking style.

Fast, slow. Left, right. Walking, running. He is everywhere.

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Conclusion

Don’t get me wrong, I love my son, but he is guilty of doing some of the annoying things a 6 year old does.

Sure, I could, and do discipline him for some of those things, such as the nut flick but I can’t discipline him for all of it.

Some of them, he will just grow out of eventually. We hope…

Good luck!

As my son grew past the toddler years, he got more and more boisterous. Play fighting became the norm. Every day. He got too boisterous to play fight with his mom, and also his gran. It was me only. When he went to school, I got a little concerned. What if he fought like this with his peers? He went through a phase of hitting during his toddler years, but this would be different! They wouldn’t stand a chance! In this post, I am going to look at reasons why you have a 5 year old hitting at school, and what you can do about it!

Sometimes, I imagine what it would be like if I were called up to face the principal because he had been fighting, or hitting other kids! It hasn’t happened, which is awesome. He knows that he should only play fight that hard at home with me, and he actually listened!

But, what if he did start hitting at school? What would I do?

What you will learn in this post:

• Why your 5 year old is hitting at school.
• 5 things you can do to stop it

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5 Reasons Why You Have a 5 Year Old Hitting At School

Before you can address this issue, it would help to understand exactly what is causing this behavior. Then you can use that knowledge to stop it from happening.

If you want to know how to stop 5 year old from hitting at school.. then the following 5 common reasons is where you should start…

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Play Fighting

I mentioned it briefly above and I wanted to cover it here too, because it is one of the most common reasons why you have a 5 year old hitting at school.

When your 5 year old play fights at home, there is potential that they will take this behavior to school and think they can do it with their friends.

Sure, play fighting is a part of growing up, and we can’t stop that (it is human nature). We can control it… to some extent!

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Frustration

School can become very hard when your child gets to this age. When your kid is 5, school begins to move away from play and starts to get a little more serious!

This can lead to your child becoming frustrated because of the gear shift in learning. Also, there is a chance that the work is getting a little difficult, which may build frustration in your 5 year old.

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Bullied

This is another one of my fears as a dad to a 5 year old! When I think of him being bullied, the rage grows inside of me. I want to go back to being 5 so I can strut into his school and sort out all the bullies. Knowing what I know now, bullies are too easy to sort out!

If you think this is the case, then you should address your concerns with his teachers. The last thing you want is an angry 5 year old hitting out and becoming a bully themselves!

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Tired

It is tiring being a 5 year old! Not only do you burn off a ton of energy during the day by running, playing, climbing, and falling over (happens a lot), but the work you are being made to do at school is mentally draining too.

You know as well as the next parent how challenging a child can get if they are tired! They will either become accident-prone, silly, or just straight-up angry.

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Fear

Fear leads to some strange behavior! In most kids, it will lead to withdrawing from the situation (mostly to preserve life), this is because of the natural ‘stress response’ or ‘fight or flight‘ as it is also known.

Your child may be lashing out at school because they feel frightened.

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5 Things You Can Do To Stop Your 5 Year Old Hitting At School

The following 5 tips will give you advice on how to stop your child from hitting at school. I have given you the 5 most common reasons why they are hitting, and now we move onto actually stopping it.

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1. Define Clear Consequences

Your 5 year old needs to understand exactly what the consequences are if they hit out at school. I am talking about the consequences at home, and at school here.

For a start, your 5 year old will be in huge trouble at school, and they need to understand that. Also, they need to understand that the punishment will not stop after school. At home, there will also be a punishment waiting for them.

Discuss this punishment with your 5 year old so they understand what to expect if they hit out at school. There must be consequences for hitting at school… so set expectations accordingly!

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2. Identify Patterns – Respond

When a 5 year old lashes out, it is not usually an immediate reaction. If you watch them closely enough, you will start to notice the signs that a right hook is on the cards.

You should be watching closely for signs that this is about to happen. As soon as you identify the build-up, you should speak to your child’s teachers at school. Let them know that you have identified an issue, and you are working on resolving it. But if they notice the build-up, they can also help to stop it before the boxing match starts.

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3. Behave Yourself

OK, there are two things I mean by this. 1. Do not punch people. It goes without saying that kids learn how to behave from those around them. If you punch people, your 5 year old will punch people. 2. When play fighting, explain the rules.

The rule of play fighting is to only go in hard when fighting with you. If they go in hard on others, they may get hurt, and your child will get into trouble (see tip 1). Set expectations, and set the rules.

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4. Teach Emotional Responses

Anger is a response that happens due to fear, frustration, and many other emotions. Your job is to teach your child to respond in a different and better way.

Instead of frustration, your child should be asking for help. Instead of lashing out, they should be learning to control fear by using other methods such as breathing.

To stop your 5 year old hitting at school, you should teach them how to deal with emotions using other methods.

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5. Praise Positive Behavior

One of the most important parts of parenting is discipline. Discipline should not simply be a punishment for bad behavior. You should also be rewarding good behavior.

If you want to understand how to discipline a child for hitting at school, then you should begin by rewarding good behavior!

When you can see your child building up to a punch, but then they cool down before lashing out, then you should 100% be giving out a world full of positive praise! That way, your 5 year old will learn that they get rewarded for reacting a different way.

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Conclusion

When you find yourself with a child hitting at school, it is a huge problem! Luckily the 5 tips on this page will help if you have a 5 year old hitting at school.

I’ve also covered the 5 most common reasons, which you should also consider when addressing this problem.

Ultimately, it is good to learn that violence rarely solves anything, it only makes it worse. The job of a parent is to teach them.

Good luck! And keep your guard up!

Playtime in the park is done and you tell your child that you need to go home. He won’t listen so you gave a five-minute warning. But your kid talks back disrespectfully, then you feel the anger rises in you. You yell at him and as you’re dragging him to go home, he began screaming and kicking.

Defiant and disrespectful behavior such as yelling, name-calling, refusing requests, arguing, cursing, and ignoring you is a sort of warning to parents.

You can’t teach your children to be respectful if you treat them with disrespect. You need to understand first why your child is defiant and disrespectful for you to find the right solution.

What you will learn in this post:

• 5 reasons why your child is defiant and disrespectful
• 5 things you can do to help
• Frequently asked questions

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5 Common Reasons Why Your Child is Defiant and Disrespectful

Even though most parents are very attentive about their child’s treatment towards other people, expecting nice and respectful actions, those same parents usually have children who treat them rudely.

Defiant and disrespectful behavior usually happens because of children having insufficient problem-solving abilities and less knowledge about how to become more respectful.

Usually, when children separate from their parents, they do the wrong things before they do the right thing. Here are some of the common reasons why your child is defiant and disrespectful.

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Confused About Limitations

If you’re confused or not clear in setting about a limitation yourself, kids will react and be disrespectful. They will get the message from you that the thing is free for everyone or an unspecified area and is okay for grabs.

Say, if you sometimes allow your kid to use the tablet every morning and sometimes don’t, then you can’t expect them to follow your rules all the time. You need to be firm with the restrictions and set consequences when someone breaks the limits.

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Over Controlled

Many kids become defiant and disrespectful when a home is full of control and fear-based parenting. Low support and under the pressures of high expectations, kids start to feel like they won’t lose anything.

The children will resent the feeling of being controlled that’s why they may lie, sneak around, or rebel. At the age of 5, lying is normal for kids but it might be a sign of too much control of their parents. They are afraid that you will scold or punish them a lot that’s why they don’t want to tell the truth.

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Over Stressed

Just like any other individual, if kids feel too much stress, they will certainly become defiant and disrespectful. Unluckily, young children nowadays are already experiencing a lot of unnecessary stress to do their best in academics.

Kids need time to rest and deserve long periods of uninterrupted play every day. If they won’t get enough de-stressors, and all they think about is the academic goals that they need to achieve, then they will feel a lot of stress which can make them defiant and disrespectful.

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Trying To Connect

If you don’t spend enough time with your children, they may feel left behind and cast out. As a result of getting less connection and for them to get attention, they tend to break something, yell, or hurt someone.

However, it’s not about attention, since it’s all about connection. Children need your touch, eye contact, and open hearts, and not the serious look on your face. If they won’t get the connection they need, they will settle for being disrespectful.

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Worried

If your kid is worried about an impending transition like a new babysitter, a new job, a new school, a new baby on the way, a new house, or a sick grandparent, you can’t expect him to express his thoughts nicely.

If you have an idea about his worries, speak with him during a calm moment such as a long drive or bedtime.

Don’t disregard their worries, but let him know what they can do about it. Talk to him with honesty, but also be positive and with authority.

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5 Things You Can Do If Your Child Is Defiant and Disrespectful

At some point in a parent’s life, you need to deal with your child being defiant or disrespectful. Whether they are only ignoring your requests or started insulting and cursing you, your children will sometimes disrespectfully express themselves.

So, you should understand that this is not your fault and comes for different reasons. Don’t worry because, with the appropriate approach, you can correct the defiant and disrespectful behavior of your child.

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Don’t Force It

Avoid saying, “I’m the parent, so you need to respect me!” because it will mostly backfire on you.

Instead of controlling how your kid should treat you, concentrate more on his behavior. Remind him that he needs to obey the rules whether he likes or not. Highlight the fact that being disrespectful is wrong, no matter how a person feels.

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Positive Reinforcement

A lot of parents who deal with a disrespectful kid try to fix the situation by becoming very strict. They often forgot how vital it is to provide positive feedback to rectify and correct behavior.

If your children make an effort to follow you, give them praise as a reward. Also, proactively acknowledge all the good things that they do.

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Never Allow It

Even though no parent allows their kids to be defiant, some unwittingly allow this behavior.

Let him know that voicing out his feelings is okay, but being disrespectful is not. Talk about some respectful ways to manage a situation, such as politely discussing with your child your rules about doing his homework.

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Be Respectful

Kids often get the idea of acting disrespectfully by observing their parents or someone they respect.

One of the best things you can do to avoid defiant and disrespectful behavior is by displaying healthy anger management methods. Be courteous and polite in front of your kids even if you’re handling someone difficult and never speak negatively about other people behind their backs.

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It Isn’t Personal

The more you take your children’s words and actions, the more you will overreact. It will only worsen the situation and motivates your kids to be more disrespectful and defiant.

Rather, let the small gestures slide altogether like eye rolls and sighs. Moreover, you need to objectively evaluate which behaviors are really out of control. Concentrate on rectifying these bad manners by using calm and constant discipline.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

Kids can become defiant and disrespectful when they don’t like a certain situation or if they’re dealing with difficult problems in their life.

The most significant thing to keep in mind is to remain calm and act respectfully in front of them. Understand why they’re acting in this behavior and discuss it maturely with them.

Good luck!

It brings great shame to us to see our kids at their worst. This is especially true when other people, and not just us parents, are negatively affected by what they did and what they’re doing. However, reacting to this situation by scolding and punishing them because you felt ashamed of how your children acted is not the way to go about it.

This is because it is during these times when our kids most need us to be the model example of how to be a better and bigger person.

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What you will learn in this post:

• Why you are screaming out ‘help, my child is mean and rude!’
• 5 things you can do to stop this behavior.

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The key to raising kind, compassionate, and selfless children is to act this way yourself!

You have to remember, you are not less of a father just because your kids are acting selfish, mean, and rude. You’re also not less of a father by choosing not to fight back when your children start misbehaving.

As heart-wrenching as these moments can be, these situations serve as a reminder that fatherhood is not about you, but rather them.

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My Child Is Mean And Rude! What Are The 5 Common Reasons?

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Attention Seeking

This might sound cliche, but it’s true. Some children deliberately act mean and rude to attract attention from their parents. This is especially true for children whose fathers are not at home all of the time. In such cases, they’ll be willing to go to extreme lengths just to get noticed, even if it means being punished for their behavior.

One of the best ways to deal with attention-seeking behavior is to ignore their tantrums and rudeness while focusing on their positive traits.

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They Are Learning

Sometimes, children will act out in frustration because they don’t know how to do something, or what to do next.

When you notice your child misbehaving, don’t be quick to punish them. Instead, try to talk to them first and ask them why they’re misbehaving.

Your child might simply be frustrated because they don’t know how to solve a particular problem, or how to talk to other children. You can take this chance to show them there is a more positive way of doing things.

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No Emotional Control (Yet)

Children can be very emotional, which is why they easily feel happy and excited. It’s also why it’s fairly easy for them to be overwhelmed with anger, sadness, anxiety, and disappointment. As a result, they don’t know what to do when they’re overcome by negative emotions.

Often, they’ll act out when their emotions get the best of them.

For this very reason, it’s important to teach children that there are healthier ways of dealing with emotions and feelings so they can cope and deal with their feelings in a healthy manner instead of turning to mischief, or in worse cases, bottling up their emotions until it boils over.

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Control

Deviant behavior is sometimes the result of a child’s attempt to gain some power and control for themselves.

Fighting back will only lead to a power struggle. The better alternative is to offer children two choices so that they can feel like they have control over what’s happening and increase the likelihood fo your child complying with your instructions while minimizing any chances of arguments.

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It Has Worked Before

Sometimes, the answer to why your child is mean and rude is because they don’t just feel like it’s the best way to get what they want – it’s gotten them what they want before.

Many parents give in to whining, groaning, and temper tantrums, all just to get their children to stop. However, as a father, it’s important that you remind your child that their misbehavior will not serve them well.

Otherwise, you’ll be teaching them that breaking the rules pays off.

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My Child Is Mean And Rude! What Can I Do? Here Are 5 Top Tips…

Unfortunately, getting children back on track so that they grow up to become better individuals is much easier said than done.

So, how do you do it? Well, it’s not easy, but it pays to have help.

Here are 5 things that can help you better handle disrespectful and rude behavior as a father:

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1. Its Not Personal

When your kids start getting snarky, obnoxious, and downright rude, it’s more likely just because they’re starting to come to their own as a person, and putting yourself in a power struggle by allowing yourself to feel angry or hurt is the last thing that you need.

When your child inevitably starts pushing certain boundaries, telling them something as simple as, “Don’t behave like that. It’s not nice”, before turning around and walking away, is an effective way of letting them know that they did something wrong while also preventing things from escalating further.

Be direct and clear. Do not let emotions get the best of you.

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2. Ignore Certain Behavior

This isn’t to say that we’re telling you to ignore rudeness and mean behavior in the household. Rather, what we’re saying is that you shouldn’t try to engage your child about what they did wrong and doing wrong all of the time.

Eye-rolling is a very common reaction among disrespectful children, and many fathers make the mistake of calling such behaviour out as soon as they happen.

Doing this only makes things worse. Most of the time, it will only lead to a lengthy argument. The result? The two of you are left emotionally exhausted with little to nothing getting done at the end of the day.

So, when your child rolls his or her ways or stomps their feet when they’re told to clean their room, just let them be.

At least, for the meantime.

For now, one thing that you can do is to warn them of the consequences of not doing their work.

Later on, when the two of you are calm, you can take the time to discuss with your child about what happened. Like, for example, you can ask them if they’re aware that they stomp their feet, or grovel, or roll their eyes, or slam doors, whenever they’re mad or they’re doing angry about something.

Sometimes, children don’t do disrespectful behaviour on purpose, and other times, they do it subconsciously.

It is then up to you to let them know about how such behaviour can be seen as disrespectful and what are the possible consequences of disrespect. Let them know about what other people could feel if they see such behaviour coming from them.

Even better, let them know how they would feel if they witnessed such behavior in other people.

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3. Use Grandma’s Rule Of Discipline

Grandma’s rule of discipline, otherwise also known simply as Grandma’s rule, is all about reminding children the link between their behavior and certain consequences, as well as privileges and rewards.

What this means is that, instead of outright pointing out negative behavior and consequences, it might be more effective to frame things as an incentive.

A good example is phrasing something like, “You’re not allowed to play video games unless you do your homework”, to, “You can go and play video games as soon as you’re done with your homework”.

It’s a simple shift in how you phrase things but can have a huge effect on how your child responds. This is because you’re teaching your child that kind behavior yields a positive response.

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4. Focus And Determination

When you decide to address disrespectful behavior, it requires changes on your end as well.

It’s not easy. It will be difficult. It will test the very limits of your patience as a father. However, you should not waver. Not only is it rewarding to see your children’s behavior improve, but you might also learn a thing or two yourself.

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5. Restitution And Responsibility

Restitution means to “recompense for injury or loss”.

In this case, whenever your child is mean and rude, it might be necessary to have them do something to make amends for the damage caused by what they did to help them learn the value of accountability and responsibility, as well as to help prevent the same thing from happening again.

For example, if your child starts throwing away and breaking stuff because they’re angry, make them fix it, or better yet, get them to pay to fix it.

Teaching children that apologizing alone isn’t always enough will allow them to better reflect on the kind of behavior that resulted in such a situation while also allowing them to work on repairing any broken relationships with other people, you included.

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Conclusion

If you are screaming out ‘my child is mean and rude, please help!’ then my 5 top tips on this page will help you out!

Children aren’t the most consistent creatures.

One day, your child may be the loving and kind prince and princess that you raised him or her to be. Other days, they might struggle to be kind and compassionate. The days where they are the latter can and will make you feel like you have failed your job as a father.

Do not let it get to you.

Remember that significant progress can’t be made in just a single day. It takes consistent work and discipline.

During the days when your child is good, don’t be forget to remind them that they’re doing good and they’re making you proud. On the other hand, when they become disrespectful little imps, consider extending your patience a little bit and try to remember why you’re doing what you’re doing in the first place.

Also, don’t forget that you are their role model.

Whatever you do and however you react to certain situations is something that they’ll try to pattern their behavior from. As such, if you want to raise your kids to be kind and compassionate adults, you would do very well to try and model the behavior that you want to see from them.

Good luck!

I think you’ll agree with me when I say it can be really difficult to get a 4-year-old to go to bed at night! I’m sure you can relate to bedtime tantrums and endless stalling tactics to postpone bedtime as long as possible. That may be the case in your household, but I’m here to tell you bedtime doesn’t have to be such a battle!

A child may refuse to go to bed for a variety of reasons, one of the most common being a fear of the dark.

Well, it turns out, there are strategies you can follow to overcome the most common reasons your child is resisting sleep or struggling to fall asleep.

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What you will learn from this post:

• 5 reasons for 4 year old bedtime battles
• 5 things you can do to help the 4 year old bedtime battles

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5 Common Reasons for 4 Year Old Bedtime Battles

There are many reasons why a 4-year-old may refuse to go to bed.

The child may be afraid of the dark which is very common. Another common reason for bedtime battles is a total absence of a bedtime routine.

A child that is overtired will rub his eyes, fidget and cry but won’t concede to the fact that he’s tired. Then again, a child that is experiencing stress at home or at kindergarten may not be able to settle down at bedtime.
And of course, we have our modern-day malaise that is notorious for preventing a good night’s sleep: too much screen time.

Lets take a look at the 5 most common 4 year old bedtime battles.

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1. No Bedtime Routine

You know the drill: you are tired from a long day but he’s running around like a cat on a hot tin roof. He’s jumping on the couch and screaming blue murder at the top of his voice.

The one moment he’s watching something on TV and the next he’s emptying your laptop bag. He refuses to sit down and eat his dinner. It’s total chaos and your reminder that ‘it’s bedtime’ falls on deaf ears.

The obvious solution is to create a bedtime routine. It’s not so difficult as you might think as you will see later in the post. All that’s needed is some real commitment from you.

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2. Fear of the dark

Fear of the dark is a common reason for little ones not being willing to stay in bed after you’ve put them down in the evening. Not surprising. Think back, were you not also afraid of what or who might be hiding in the closet or under your bed?

Most toddlers have a vivid imagination and when you turn off the light they can become so fearful that they refuse to stay alone in their room. That’s completely understandable. The important thing to remember is that fear is very real for your child.

Whatever you do, don’t dismiss your child fear of the dark!

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3. Your Child Is Overtired

When a child starts rubbing her ears, can’t stop fidgeting and cries for no reason at all, you know she is overtired. It is way past her bedtime, she desperately needs to sleep but can’t go to sleep.

Overtiredness often happens when the child has been overstimulated – too many people, too much going on. What’s needed is some time to calm things down.

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4. Stress and Worries

Don’t underestimate a child’s stress levels. Children are very sensitive to the atmosphere in the home – they know if mommy and daddy are not talking again.

All manner of things could be playing on their minds and prevent them from relaxing and falling asleep. Maybe the family moved recently, a new baby has arrived, someone got badly hurt or is very sick, a friend has been horrible to them, mommy is very angry with me.

And so the possible list of stressors goes on.

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5. Too Much Screen Time

Research all around the world has linked sleep problems with too much digital screen use. This is true for kids as well as adults. Watching TV before bed or using a tablet or a smartphone is not compatible with a good night’s rest.

Young children who are left to watch loads of TV tend to not sleep long enough to get proper rest. They often wake up tired because of poor quality sleep.

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5 Ways You Can Overcome 4-Year-Old Bedtime Battles

For each of the above scenarios, which I’m sure you’re only too familiar with, there is a solution. You may be at the end of your wits, but hold on, you can turn bedtime battles into world peace.

First of all, it helps to be firm and resolute about the fact that you expect your child to go to bed and sleep. Children are very smart; if they sense that you are not resolute they will take advantage of your doubt, indecision, or whatever you want to call it and you will have an ongoing battle on your hands.

Let’s have a look at how we can fix 4 year old bedtime battles!

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1. Establish a Bedtime Routine

Make bedtime a priority and set a time aside for it. Also, allocate a certain amount of time to your child’s bedtime routine and treat that time as a special quality time with your child.

The nature of the routine is that it consists of the same activities at the same time. That makes the routine predictable which is reassuring for a small child. A predictable, calming bedtime routine that involves activities like a bath, brushing teeth, finding favorite soft toys, and story time will do wonders to calm your child down.

Why? Because they sense that they have your undivided attention and that is actually all they really want.

Listening to someone reading to you or telling a story is very relaxing and calming. In fact, there is nothing nicer than falling asleep to the voice of someone you love. Do this for your child and you’ll be building a very special relationship.

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2. Talk about Fear of the Dark

Don’t dismiss the fear, acknowledge it as real but at the same time let your child understand that there really is nothing to be afraid of and that eventually, the fear will go away. If your child talks about monsters in the closet or under the bed, show the child that there is nothing there.

Turn off the light and leave a night light on for your child. You might also want to consider a night light projector with soothing music. Dim light is calming. Again, a story might help here – your child might very well fall asleep while you’re reading and so the whole issue with monsters in the dark will automatically be resolved.

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3. Prevent Over-tiredness

If this happens regularly, you’ll have to take a good look at your lifestyle and daily habits. Is the family too busy and too active, being out until late on multiple weekdays? Is your child missing out on an afternoon nap? Is your child hyperactive because he had too much sugar during the day?

All these factors can contribute to an overtired child that struggles to settle down.

Avoiding staying out too late and having too many activities with no rest in between will go a long way to preventing a small child from getting overtired.

Again, if you have a calming bedtime routine in place, your child will start calming down as soon as she realizes that the usual things are happening before she goes to sleep. You can help your child to calm down by staying calm yourself and just following the same soothing bedtime routine.

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4. Acknowledge Stress and Worries

If your child seems unsettled and anxious try to find out what the reason is. You probably have an idea as to the source so don’t shy away from talking about it.

Experts advise that if something serious happened, it’s advisable to keep to the usual bedtime routine as this makes a small child feel safe and in control.

It’s important to acknowledge your child’s feelings and that you let your child know you understand. But don’t go on and on about it. You want your child to understand that life goes on and everything will be okay.

What you want to avoid is that your child goes to sleep in a state of fear, so you need to be very loving and reassuring. That means lots of hugs and kisses.

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5. Limit Screen Time

Research has found that the light from digital devices can interfere with the production of melatonin, an important hormone that plays an important role in sleep. The light from these devices can prevent the production of enough melatonin to feel sleepy.

In fact, watching TV or using other digital devices like smartphones and tablets before bed can keep a child wide awake for hours.

Don’t let your children watch TV after dinner and put your phone out of the way. At bedtime, read stories from a book, not a tablet or a phone.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

There are many legitimate reasons why a 4-year-old might have trouble going to sleep at bedtime. But bedtime doesn’t have to be a nightly battle between parent and child. These 4 year old bedtime battles can be bought to an end!

Show your child that you mean it, that you are serious about their bedtime. Slow things down at the end of the day with a simple bedtime routine that’s enjoyable for both you and your child.

You can use this time as a time for you to slow down as well and leave the world and its issues outside for an hour or so.

Remember, what most children crave most is their parents’ undivided attention. Give it to them for a while every night and you’ll have children that go to bed happily.

Good luck!

Just when it seems that you have got over one stage, along comes another one to challenge you! Now you have a 6 year old who is testing you. What causes a 6 years year old to suddenly lash out and hit other kids, or even their parents? How do you address aggressive behavior in 6 year old kids? Let’s take a look.

What you will learn in this post:

• Why your 6 year old is showing aggressive behavior
• 5 Ways to deal with aggressive behavior in 6 year old child

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5 Reasons Why Your 6 Year Old Is Showing Aggression

As kids progress through their early life, they are faced with certain challenges. One challenge in particular is to react to difficult situations correctly.

When kids get angry, they are not reacting to a particular challenge in life the correct way.

There are 2 things that cause this:

1. A trigger – what caused the feelings that started the angry response?
2. The anger – is not the correct response

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Struggle At School

It is very common for a 6 year old to be frustrated with their work at school.

Schooling gets more and more difficult as your child moves through the years, as it should. Sometimes, the gear shift change between years can cause some frustration.

If you notice aggressive behavior in your 6 year old before and after school only, this could be the reason.

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Violent TV/Video Games

Most 6 year old children have started to play computer games and have become more involved in choosing what they want to watch on TV.

Both of these have the potential to be teaching your child the wrong way to act in life.

For every app or TV controller they have access to, you should be looking for the parental control options and adopting them.

Also – it is easy to give in and let your child play games that have been designed for older kids, but the repercussions could be an angry 6 year old!

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Learned Behavior

Your 6 year old spends a lot of time at school – do you know who they hang out with? Are they also 6 years old’s who are displaying aggressive behavior?

From this point in life, you almost need to vet your child’s friends to ensure they are not going to be teaching each other bad habits.

Reacting to situations with anger is learned behavior. Your 6 year old could be learning this at school, or at home.

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Frustration

6 years old’s want to be more grown-up, but their body is still growing and sometimes, it doesn’t give them what they need. The same for their brain too.

Frustration can kick in if your child is trying to achieve something they are not ready for yet. This is especially true if your child has older siblings… they want to do what their older brothers or sisters are doing, but they are not ready yet!

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Behavioral Disorders

Unfortunately, you cannot rule out behavioral disorders just by searching on the internet!

If you think your 6 year is old displaying aggressive behavior due to a disorder, then you will need to seek professional, medical help as soon as possible.

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5 Ways To Deal With Aggressive Behavior In 6 Year Old Child

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Calm Down

The first thing you both need to do is remain calm. Easier said than done!

• You – remain calm during the aggressive episode
• Your child – needs to learn to calm down quickly

Obviously, this is going to be something that takes a long time to learn, especially for your child. At the moment, this is the way they deal with whatever emotion they are feeling. It is your job to teach them other ways to express whatever they are feeling.

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Teach Responsibility

When your child is 6 years old, it is the perfect time to continue teaching them about responsibility.

Discuss with your child that they are responsible for certain things in life, and they are responsible for the way they react in certain situations.

Make them responsible for developing another way to react, removing the aggression. What other reactions are better than aggression?

Although you are teaching your child to be more responsible, it is ultimately your responsibility, but they don’t need to know that!

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Reward Good Behavior

Those who have read a few posts on this blog about behavior in kids and toddlers know that I am a huge fan of rewarding good behavior. It is the most effective way I have found to keep my son in check!

Every time your 6 year old hits a trigger but reacts in a way that is not aggressive, it should be rewarded. Build the foundations that this is the correct way of reacting to whichever situation they faced.

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Discuss Cause And Effect

Cause and effect is a huge part of any child’s development. If they do not know the effect of their aggressive behavior, why would they change the cause?

A powerful method to teach your child cause and effect is by asking your child to explain their actions.

Using this method will help your child to think out loud. By describing what happened, they will be able to identify better ways to deal with it. During the explanation, it is important that you also ask ‘what happened when you reacted this way?’

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Seek Help

There are professional, medical folks who specialize in aggressive behavior in 6 year old kids. If you think your child has reached this stage, then you should absolutely reach out to someone who will help.

It is not up to you to diagnose your child, and please do not use the internet to do it for you! A face to face consultation is the only way forward.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

Controlling aggressive behavior in 6 year old kids is a challenge! Your first job is to find out what is causing it, and unfortunately, there are tons of reasons!

I mentioned above in this post, but I want to re-affirm that aggressive behavior is learned behavior. Control your own temperament and be a role model. You will find your 6 year old copying your behavior.

Whenever you get angry, it is worth explaining to your child the reasons why you are angry, but then explain how you are reacting to it. Your 6 year old will quickly learn to fall in line!

Good luck!

I wish I had the imagination of a child! Sometimes, during playtime with my son, I get lost. I can’t keep up with the imagination flowing through his mind, while mine just freezes. Imagination is an awesome thing, right? Part of a child’s development might include an imaginary friend. Usually, this is nothing to worry about. In fact, it means you can get on with some grown-up tasks while your kid plays with their imaginary friend! Why do kids have imaginary friends? Let’s take a look at 5 reasons why…

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What you will learn in this post:

• Why do kids have imaginary friends?
• When it is time to worry about your child’s imaginary friend
• Frequently asked questions

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Why Do Kids Have Imaginary Friends – 5 Reasons Why

Why do kids have imaginary friends? Let’s take a look at these 5 common reasons:

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More Playtime Fun

Why do kids have imaginary friends? The answer is probably this…

They are fun to play with!

Kids develop imaginary friends as part of their imagination. Not only does it mean they are creative enough to design an imaginary friend, but they also have the imagination to get through an entire playtime with them!

I wish I still had that kind of imagination!

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Someone To Blame

I call this one ‘dodging responsibility’. Your child has created an imaginary friend so they can pass the responsibility for when your child is naughty.

After all, you can’t punish someone if it isn’t their fault, can you?

By creating an imaginary friend, your child has backed you into a corner, and you need to be creative to get back out! My favorite trick is to pass responsibility back to your child.

Make them in charge of punishing the imaginary friend, and explain that if it happens again, then you will need some answers from your child as to why their punishment is not working.

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Stop Fear

Some children will create an imaginary friend to sit with them when they are scared.

For instance, if they have a fear of the dark, then the imaginary friend will be there with them so they do not feel afraid.

It seems like a good coping mechanism to me!

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Lonely

Your child might be lonely, and that is why they have created an imaginary friend.

Let’s face it, in terms of a coping mechanism, it is a very good one. The imaginary friend will be a sounding board for your child.

You should keep an eye on this, especially if your child is feeling very lonely all of the time. Check-in with your child to see if they have any friends, and if they don’t, then make take some steps to get your child more friends.

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Help Problem Solving

Why do kids have imaginary friends? To help with problem-solving of course!

As kids progress, they have to improve, it is the way of the world! Homework gets more difficult, and so does life.

Having an imaginary friend to help with problem-solving is an excellent way of dealing with problems.

I don’t know about you, but when I have a problem I discuss it in my head to try and find a solution. That is basically what your child is doing, but out loud.

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Is It OK For A Kid To Have An Imaginary Friend?

Having an imaginary friend is usually nothing to be concerned about. This is a part of your child growing up and is a key part of their imagination kicking in.

There are times when you need to question whether or not an imaginary friend is a good thing, so let’s cover those times now…

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Imaginary Friends – When To Worry

Here are the 4 times when you need to be concerned about your child having an imaginary friend.

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Demanding

If your child has an imaginary friend they are are very demanding, then it is time to raise the levels of concern.

Sometimes, kids can use an imaginary friend to demand things and remove the responsibility from themselves.

Turn that into a positive by handing over responsibility back to your child. Ask them to deal with the demands of the imaginary friend. If they are demanding food, get your child to explain why it is not time to eat yet. If they demand new toys, ask your toddler to explain why they cannot have new toys whenever they want.

If your child has created an imaginary friend to dodge responsibility, then hand it back to them!

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Being Naughty

Imaginary friends can be a target for all things bad, and this is a particularly difficult issue to resolve.

If your child has an imaginary friend that is always getting the blame for all things naughty, such as:

1. Drawing on the walls
2. Breaking things
3. Slamming doors

…then you should discuss what is right and wrong alongside your child. Push the responsibility of punishing the imaginary friend onto your child to see how they deal with the problem.

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Spending Too Long With Them And Not With Friends

Another concern that you may have is that your child is spending far too long on their own with their imaginary friend and doesn’t like interacting with real kids.

By spending time away from real people, it inhibits the development of their social skills.

You can resolve this by inviting their friends around to play, or arranging play dates.

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If They Are Scary

Kids have a tremendous imagination! I have trouble keeping up with my son during playtime… I guess my brain is getting too old. Unfortunately, this wild imagination also has some drawbacks, and this is one of them.

If your child has an imaginary friend, that’s cool. If the imaginary friend is always scaring them, then that isn’t cool.

The problem that you have is you can’t drive on over to the parents of the imaginary friend and discuss it with them, this is all happening in your child’s mind. What you should do, is sit down and break the news that the friend is not real. You should also give your child some ways to cope with the scary imaginary friend.

I’m going to get a bit deep here, but I am a huge fan of NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). You can use this to teach your child to not fear their imaginary friend. You can begin by getting your child to close their eyes. Guide them through imagining their imaginary friend talking in a funny voice, or dressing up as Micky Mouse, etc. Make it funny, and get them laughing. Tell them to picture their imaginary friend as a very small person. These techniques will help your child to overcome the fear of the imaginary friend.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

Why do kids have imaginary friends? I have identified the 5 most common reasons why on this page. Also, I have given you a few things to watch out for.

I said it earlier in this post, and I will say it again. Imagination is an awesome thing, I wish it wasn’t so difficult as an adult, but I guess that is our brains naturally slowing down as we age, right? That sucks…

Anyway, if your child has an imaginary friend, enjoy it while it lasts, but make sure it doesn’t last too long and doesn’t get in the way of their development.

Good luck!

One of my worse fears as a dad is seeing my son lonely. It’s gut-wrenching. To think of him without friends to share life experiences with, it is a heart breaker. When a child has no friends, it can result in lonely adult life too. In fact, studies have shown that if a child has no friends, they are twice as likely to suffer from mental health issues in the future. If you are wondering what to do when your child has no friends, then I have you covered in this post.

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What you will learn in this post:

• Why your child has no friends
• What to do when your child has no friends
• Answers to frequently asked questions

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5 Reasons Why Your Child Has No Friends

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Introverts

An introvert is someone who is reserved, and someone who thinks more without speaking a lot.

Sometimes this can be seen as ignorance and may be the reason why your child doesn’t have any friends.

Those who are introverts like to make friends with an extravert (someone who is enthusiastic, and talkative) because it allows the introvert to operate more in the background whilst someone else takes the stage.

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Shy

This is very similar to being an introvert and is actually one of the many personality traits of an introvert.

If your child is shy, it could be the reason why they do not have any friends. Shy folks usually wait until they are approached before having a conversation. Human interaction is rarely initiated by someone who is shy.

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Fear Of Rejection

Your child may have a fear of rejection that is stopping them from approaching people to get to know them better.

If your child fears rejection, then they may be too fearful of approach others to make friends.

There are some things that you can do to help your child overcome their fear of rejection.

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Sensitive

Some people can be very sensitive. That means they regularly fall out of friendship with people who have upset them in some way.

Unfortunately, that means that others do not enter into friendship with them because they are easily offended.

Having a friend who is sensitive is a lot of hard work. Not only does it take a lot of energy to communicate without causing upset, but making up with them is up to you too. It takes up a lot of mental capacity.

Some people think that it is better to avoid sensitive folks for the reasons above.

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Health Issue – Personality Disorder

It’s not easy to think about, but is it possible that your child has a personality disorder?

Some people with these health issues may be described as ‘toxic/intense’ and could result in them having no friends in life.

You cannot confirm this (unless you are a qualified medical professional), so it is very important that you seek the correct medical advice if you think this is the case.

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5 Ways To Increase Your Childs Circle Of Friends

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Discuss It

If you want to know what to do when your child has no friends, the first thing you need to do is talk to your child. You could get the answers you are looking for if you listen. The conversation needs to be you asking questions without judgment. It’s not going to be easy, but it is something that you need to do right at the beginning.

Ask your child important questions such as:

• What happened when you fell out with your last friend?
• What do you think friendship means?
• How do you make friends?
• Who do you like most at school?
• How do you think you are treated by the other children at school?

The answers to these questions will help you understand why your child has no friends.

Oh, and yes, I know this is not going to be easy! Getting answers from a child is never easy, especially when it is about something as sensitive as this. Unfortunately, it is your best tool to get your child some friends.

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Find An Interest

Unless you live in the middle of wilderness, you are likely to have local clubs in your local area.

Figure out what your child enjoys doing. Are there any sports they are interested in? Do they enjoy playing specific games?

Look for clubs in your local area and suggest attending them with your child. Always watch your child as they interact with others. This is an excellent way of picking up on clear markers to see why your child has no friends.

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Coaching

It is your job as a parent to coach your child through life. Coach them on how they should be reacting in certain situations.

If your child is sensitive, you need to coach them to help them deal with an upset in a much more positive way.

Do not approach this as a bossy teacher. Instead, you should be asking your child to come up with ways they can improve.

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Work On Communication

Your child may need some help in the way they communicate. Let’s face it, most kids need help in the way they communicate!

This is very similar to the coaching tip (above) but is slightly different. This also includes the way your child asks questions, answers questions, or just the way they vocally communicate with other kids of a similar age.

Children like to spend time with other kids who are easy to speak with. So, watch your child as they communicate with other kids and find ways they can improve it. Run through your findings with your child and ask them how they think it went.

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Rule Out Medical Conditions

Visit a medical professional to rule out any medical condition that your child might be suffering from.

If this is down to a medical condition, it is good news that it has been identified. Once a medical professional has identified any medical conditions, then you can begin to address them with either behavioral therapy or medicine.

If your child needs medical intervention, then it goes without saying that they need your support through this.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

If you are wondering what to do if your child has no friends, then the 5 tips on this page, along with the 5 reasons why, will help you.

You have to remember that everyone is different in life. Some people like to be around friends all of the time, whilst others prefer their own company. Some people like to think internally a lot, and some like to think out loud.

It is important to understand, and respect the way that other people work. If you do not respect this, then it could lead to frustration, both for you, and your child.

Do not force your child to make friends with other kids. Instead, you should get your child used to the positive feelings of having friends and having someone to share life experiences with.

Good luck!

The thing about being a parent is that it is rarely stable. There is always something just around the corner that brings you right back to the drawing board. For me, it was when my son started school. I didn’t like it, but thankfully he took to it like a duck to water! I was impressed! There are times when he doesn’t want to go to school though. This is usually after a long period of absence, like summer. He tends to get anxious after a long time away from school. If you want to know how to help a child with anxiety about school, then read the 5 tips on this page!

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What you will learn in this post:

• Common reasons why your child has anxiety about school.
• 5 things you can do about it, aside from asking them about it!

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5 Reasons Why Your Child Has School Anxiety

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Bullied

This reason gets my blood pumping! I remember when my son first went to school and he came home with a scratch on his face. I wanted revenge and I wanted it now. I calmed down a bit when I was reminded that it was a 4 year old that scratched him.

Luckily, it wasn’t bullying, and that was the last time it happened.

Bullying is the biggest cause of anxiety when returning to school. If you want to know how to help a child with anxiety about school, you should first figure out if they are being bullied.

If they are, then you should speak with the teachers so they can address it.

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No Friends

Having no friends must make school pretty bad, I must admit. The only way that many kids can get through school is by having a decent number of friends they can hang out with.

If your child has no friends, they will absolutely get some form of anxiety about school. I know I would!

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Work Too Difficult

School work is tough. As my son progresses, I notice the homework is getting tougher and tougher.

Kids are learning all of the time, and as they go through school, the work also gets tougher and tougher.

Some kids get anxious because they struggle to complete or understand the work. This is where the teacher should step in at school, and you should step in at home.

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Separation Anxiety

Your child may have separation anxiety, and this could be the reason with they are anxious about going to school.

It is very common, and it is relatively easy to get over it. It takes time to resolve though, along with most other issues!

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Low Self Confidence

Speaking of things that take time, if your child has low self-confidence or low self-esteem then it will take a long time to fix this.

Some folks suffer from low self-confidence regularly in life. It is a constant war where some battles are won, and some battles are lost.

As a parent, it is your job to teach your child how important they are, and how good they are. Take some time to set some achievable goals together. That way, they get used to achieving these goals, and the result is a child with awesome self-confidence!

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5 Things You Can Do To Help A Child With Anxiety About School

Apart from talking to your child to see why they are anxious, there are 5 things you can do below that will help.

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Address Concerns With Teachers

The first thing you should do is speak to your child’s teachers about the anxiety of going to school. This might be the quickest way to get an answer as to why they are anxious!

Also – teachers have vast experience with dealing with kids and anxiety toward school. They can use this experience to help your child.

Ultimately, if you want to help a child with anxiety about school, you should begin by speaking with the teachers!

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Join Local Clubs

If your child struggles to find new friends or is being bullied, it is a good idea to get them to go along to clubs outside of school.

That way, they can make friends and practice hanging out with other people outside of their family life.

Depending on the age of your child, this could also help with any bullying issues they are facing. It helps with young kids a lot, but for older children, they may not appreciate going to clubs because of their bullying issues.

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Prepare Learning

To stop your child from being anxious about going to school, you can prepare them before school by running through some of the subjects they are due to learn. That way, you can pick up on any pain points.

If they are anxious because they are struggling to keep up or understand what they are learning, you could speak to the teacher about potential reasons why. It could be that your child needs a little extra help.

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Teach Anxiety Control

Anxiety is something that we all have to deal with in life. Your job as a parent is to teach your child how to deal with those moments where anxiety is a problem.

Some folks tell their child to avoid situations where they feel anxious. I think this is a total waste of life! Kids should be taught how to deal with anxiety so they do not fear it!

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Positive Reinforcement

You should always send your kids positive messages when they do something well. This includes anything good they do at school, or kindergarten (if they are still young).

When passing your children positive messages, you are building their confidence, and you are also telling them they can do well.

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Helping a Child Anxious About School Takes Time and Patience

One thing you have to remember is that if you want to help a child with anxiety about school, it is going to take some time!

The worst thing you can do is rush through these tips. It will cause additional frustration for you and your child. By rushing your child, you may also be setting back any progress they may have made too.

Don’t rush it! Take your time.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

If you want to know how to help a child with anxiety about school, then the 5 tips on this page will absolutely help you!

There are a few things that you need to be aware of. It isn’t something that you will enjoy reading, but anxiety could be the result of other things going on in your child’s life. Here are some valuable resources if you need them:

• Details for anxiety disorders in children.
• Details of a connection between anxiety and dyslexia.

This post is no replacement for professional, medical advice. If you need to speak to a medical professional, then you should do it straight away.

Good luck!

The older kids get, the more clever they become. That is excellent… but it means you have to keep on the front foot when it comes to ensuring their behavior is good! Gone are the days of the terrible twos, and your kid is probably past the stage of hitting for no reason, and even screaming! But… now you have to re-think your discipline strategy. You need some punishments for 5 year olds that work! In this post, I am going to give you 5 of the best!

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What you will learn in this post:

• What drives a 5 year old to act up.
• 5 punishments for 5 year olds.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Change Punishment For Your 5 Year Old

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Pushing Limits

As your child gets old, they continue to push the limits to see what they can and cannot get away with.

You have to remember that your 5 year old has more experience than before, and they have interacted with more kids. That means they have watched other kids’ behavior and will replicate their attempts (monkey see, monkey do!) at pushing limits. They have seen what other kids get away with.

It is what happens, so you need to improve for every year!

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Valid Points

They have valid points, and they like you being dismissive. Especially if you just don’t listen.

For me, this is the worst reason. They actually have a point! Their arguments make sense.

The problem is that this invokes a different reaction from you. One that you are not used to. Sometimes us parents can dismiss any disagreements with our kids out of hand. Now your kid is making a valid point, and being dismissed leads to frustration.

This doesn’t call for any punishments for your 5 year old, it is more of a change to the way that you deal with this change.

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Wants To Be Treated Like An Older Child

Your 5 year old is getting older now, and as the year’s progress, they want to be treated more like an older child.

The problem is that their behavior doesn’t justify the change from your perspective, right?

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Lying

Your 5 year old is starting to use their brain a bit more. That is a good thing, and a bad thing all at once!

Why is it a bad thing? Because now they are honing their lying skills. They know that they are able to falsify a situation to get themselves out of trouble, or to get someone else into trouble.

It is more of a challenge to catch out a 5 year old than it is a younger kid.

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Good Ideas

Sometimes when kids talk, you don’t listen, right?

This is mostly true because you are right in the middle of doing something when your kid is constantly talking to you about something.

They have some good ideas, but you might be dismissive because of the volume of words that leave their mouth on an hourly basis!

This could lead to frustration.

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5 Punishments For 5 Year Olds That Work

When your kid gets a little older, you need to change the process for corrective behavior!

Here are my 5 top punishments for 5 year olds:

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Positive Discipline

I’ve said it a ton of times on this page, but positive discipline is much better than negative discipline!

Rewarding good behavior builds strong foundations for continued good behavior.

When your kid comes up with a good idea or resolves an issue themselves, they should be praised.

That way, they will be more inclined to solve problems themselves rather than get you involved every time.

Positive discipline is not just a good punishment for 5 year olds, it is a complete behavioral management technique that works into adulthood and beyond! Think about it… you even get reviewed in your job, right?

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Consequences

Your 5 year old now has a good understanding of the consequences. They know that being bad leads to punishment, and being good (hopefully) leads to positive praise.

Give your 5 year old a clear consequence for bad behavior. The most important thing is that you make the consequence believable, and something that you will 100% go through with. Empty threats will only backfire on you, don’t do it!

Genuinely think about a consequence that you will carry out, and tell them straight what it is. If your 5 year old misbehaves, carry it out.

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Get Them To Justify Their Actions

Another awesome discipline technique for 5 year olds is getting them to justify their actions.

Let’s say they threw a toy because you asked them to get dressed (common for a 5 year old). Sit them down and ask them to explain why they threw a toy.

Listen to the response. Don’t give up until you get a response. This forces your 5 year old to think about their reaction. Hopefully, they come up with the answer ‘oh… throwing a toy only got me into more trouble. I had better learn from that’.

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Ask How They Would Deal With It

This is one of my favorite responses to bad behavior. I ask my son the following:

If one of your friends behaved like that, how would you explain to them that it was bad behavior?

At first, I didn’t get much of a response, other than more anger! I quickly learned that this only works when my son was not angry anymore.

It is a good technique because it put my son in my position, and he figured out for himself what the punishment should be.

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Remove Favorite Toys

This is always my default fall back punishment for 5 year olds!

The positive news is that your 5 year old is probably now getting heavily into one set of toys. That gives you a punishment that is a direct strike on bad behavior.

Think about what your kid plays with the most. Explain that bad behavior means that you will remove that toy for 1 day. It will increase with further bad behavior.

Now that your 5 year old understands consequence, it works! Not every time… but most of the time it works.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

On this page I have given you 5 punishments for 5 year olds that WORK!

One of them may not work for your 5 year old, but with all 5, you have tons of tools in your arsenal to deal with this new mini human.

5 is a fund age, because kids really do start to justify things they do, and they start to behave more like a human than they ever have before. That means you need to change your discipline techniques to account for the new behavior!

They can’t rule the roost yet, can they?

Good luck!

Kids are strange. Just this morning I was watching my son dance in front of a TV that wasn’t even on. I’ve no idea what was going on inside his head! There are some things that kids do that we don’t fully understand. Screaming, throwing things, and hitting themselves are just 3 things they do. Why do kids hit themselves? In this post, we are going to take a look at 5 common reasons why they hit themselves, and 5 things you can do that will help.

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What you will learn from this post:

• Why do kids hit themselves?
• 5 things you can do to stop your kid from hitting themselves.

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Why Do Kids Hit Themselves? 5 Common Reasons

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Anger

Why do kids hit themselves? The answer is likely to be the most common reason, your kid is angry!

Various stages of a child’s progress involve learning to deal with emotions. Anger is high on the agenda.

Humans aren’t born with the ability to deal with anger, so it is up to you to teach them how to deal with it.

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Excitement

This is more for younger kids. When they get excited, they can get into a habit of hitting themselves.

The reason is down to a build up of energy that needs to be released. This could result in your kid hitting themselves.

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Attention Seeking

Why do kids hit themselves? It could be because they want more attention.

Have you noticed other attention-seeking habits that your kid has? It is worth considering that your child is doing this because they want some more of your attention.

You know kids, they are constantly seeking your attention, right?

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Punishment

Your kid might feel the need to punish themselves for something. This is a very common self-abuse tactic. It very common amongst those who have suffered abuse.

If your kid is hitting themselves as punishment, it could be a sign of a mental health issue that needs to be resolved, so seek help.

It may not be a sign of a mental health issue though. Your child may be hitting themselves because they have seen someone be physically punished for misbehaving.

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In Pain

I used to do this when I was in pain! For some reason, I thought it was a good idea to hit myself in an attempt to reduce the pain I was in. This could be because I had just hit myself against a piece of furniture, or I may have just fallen over.

Maybe it was a placebo affect, but it did make it feel a little better. Maybe your child is doing the same, it is very common.

There is a thought that the hitting draws more blood to the area to fix any issues.

Also – pay particular attention to your kid hitting themselves near their ears. This could be a sign of an ear infection.

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How To Stop Your Kid From Hitting Themselves – 5 Steps

First and foremost, if you think this is a mental health issue, or you are unsure, please seek professional advice.

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Stop It Every Time

If your child hits themselves, then tell them to stop it.

Some kids do it that regularly that it forms a habit. They do not even know they are doing it.

Simply bringing it to their attention may be enough of a prompt for them to understand

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Discuss Why

If your child is old enough to tell you why they are doing it, the best thing you can do it ask them why they are hitting themselves!

If they are doing it because they want your attention, either in general or about something specific, then this is what they wanted to achieve.

They could also be in pain. If they are, then you can find out and do something to alleviate it.

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Teach Stress Relief

It is your job as a parent to teach your kids what to do when they face a stressful situation.

Hitting is not something they should be left to do as a stress relief tool!

As it is your job, you must teach your kids some tools to help with stress relief.

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Give Alternative Response

Is your kid hitting themselves because they are excited about something? Are they doing it because they have a lot of pent up energy that needs to be release?

If this is the case, then you should be teaching your kid how to release this energy.

Turn it into something positive like showing them some workouts they can do. Push-ups, sit-ups, running on the spot, these are all things you can do to release energy. They are all good for you too!

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Reward Good Behavior

Rewarding good behavior is so much better than punishing bad behavior!

I will always reward my son when he does something good. Every time.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t go out and buy him a toy just because he cleaned his room, but I will give him some positive praise. Kids love that, it builds the foundations of a good person.

If your kid gets frustrated, angry, or excited, and they DON’T hit themselves, reward that as good behavior.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

Why do kids hit themselves? In this post, I have given you 5 reasons why, and 5 things that you can do to help them.

Here is one thing that YOU MUST DO:

If you haven’t got to the reason why your kid is hitting themselves, it could be the result of a medical condition. It is your job to seek medical help. Consult a pediatrician to get some answers. It could be something small, but you also need to rule out anything serious.

Good luck!

Kids are a massive challenge, but I am preaching to the choir here, right? If it isn’t your kid refusing to eat, refusing to sleep in their own room, terrible twos… it is behavioral problems like hitting, screaming, toddlers biting or generally doing anything to test your own anger management technique. Here, we are going to take a look at how to deal with an angry disrespectful child.

When you are a parent, there are a bunch of things that your child can do in public to act up and show you up. For me, there is nothing worse than disrespectful behavior, because it shows up your parenting skills!

Let’s take a look at how you can deal with disrespectful behavior.

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5 Reasons Why Your Child Is Angry And Disrespectful

First, you need to understand what is causing the disrespectful behavior. Contrary to what you believe, it is unlikely to be because your child simply doesn’t like you!

Here are 5 reasons why your child is angry and disrespectful.

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Testing Limits

During their short lives as kids, they spent far too much time pushing limits! They push and push see how much you will take before your head goes pop and you unleash a torrent of bad words into the open.

Don’t do that. I know it is tempting, but you are only teaching them to deal with stress in the same way.

Nobody said parenting was easy.

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Learning Emotions

Your child might just be learning how to deal with emotions. You might have just rejected a request for candy, or a toy. The only way they can deal with anger (at the moment) is by being disrespectful and angry.

We know that it is not the correct way to respond, but they don’t. It is up to you to show them how to.

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Anger Issues

It sucks, but your child might have anger issues. Some folks have a short fuse, and that is fine if you both know how to deal with it correctly.

If the anger is too much, it might be time to call in an expert, so use your own judgment here.

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Learned Behavior

Are you disrespectful and angry? When confronted with conflict, do you deal with it in the correct manner?

Kids learn from their parents, so one of the most important things you can do it take a look at the way you deal with things. Approach this with an open mind. If you truly want to stop your child’s disrespectful and angry behavior, you will have no problems questioning your own.

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Your Child Does Not Respect You

It could be that you are simply not respected by your child or children. This is very dangerous because your child will see you as a target and they might begin to bully you too. If that happens, it is difficult to pull back from.

If you think that your child does not respect you, it is time for some serious changes in your life! Otherwise, it could lead to you being rejected by your child.

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5 Ways To Deal With An Angry Disrespectful Child

Dealing with disrespectful behavior in a child is not easy, and it is definitely not going to be a quick thing! You need to take your time, and be persistent. The first steps are the easiest, but keeping the momentum going is the challenge here.

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Set Boundaries

First step: Set boundaries. You need to sit your child down and tell them what you expect from them.

Bad behavior is not tolerated. Disrespectful behavior is not tolerated. Anger is not tolerated.

Adhering to these rules will result in rewards, and adulation!

Failure to adhere to these rules will result in punishment. Tell your child what the punishment will be.

If your child is already disrespectful, their reaction will probably be to scoff your new rules. This is only the start. all you need to do is set the rules. Job number 1.

Ignore the scoffing! You are the boss now.

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Stick To Your Boundaries

When the rules are adhered to, then you should reward your child. Every time. Make a fuss. Sit down and explain that the way they have behaved makes you happy, and proud.

When the rules are broken. Call it out as bad behavior. Do not ‘let it slide’. If you let your child be disrespectful, they will respect you less.

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Follow Through With Punishment

Should the rules be broken, your job is to follow through with the punishment you clearly set out at the beginning.

Failure to follow through with the punishment will result in less respect.

I hear parents making empty threats too many times! Threats like this at the airport:

If you carry on, we will not go on vacation!

Like you are going to throw away an entire vacation! Your child KNOWS you won’t. It doesn’t mean anything. It is an empty threat. Do not be one of those parents.

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Be Respectable

If you give the impression that you are a walk-over, then you will be walked over.

Failure to punish your child will result in further disrespectful behavior.

If you do not respect yourself, you will not be respected. This will result in your child being disrespectful!

It is time that you learn to respect yourself.

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Teach Correct Behavior

You are the parent. As a parent, one of your key responsibilities is to teach your children, right?

Now is the time to teach your child how to behave. It is time to teach your child the correct response to any situation that makes them angry.

You should lead by example. If you respect yourself, and others, they your child will learn from you and will be more respectful.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Conclusion

The 5 tips on this page will help you if you need to know how to deal with an angry disrespectful child.

One of the most important things that you can do is show that you are someone who needs to be respected! Follow through on threats of punishment, get stuff done around the home. It is easy for a child to disrespect someone who doesn’t respect themselves.

Improve yourself to improve your child’s behavior!

Be consistent too! When you start to call out your child’s behavior, it is the start of a long journey that you must not deviate from. If you let disrespectful behavior slide just once, then it will take 5 corrections to make up for it. Every correction is a little win.

Over time, the behavior will be better for longer periods of time, with fewer signs of disrespect.

Good luck.