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Does your child talk back, negotiate, say things which are hurtful, roll his eyes or slam doors? Whether your child is three or thirteen, all children need to be taught so they understand what is expected of them. Children are not born with magical mind-reading skills, and, they are children, so they do need to be taught and told over and over and over, in order to learn a desired behavior. The human brain is not fully developed until into late teen years, so even a thirteen year old will be forgetful, and without consistent logical thinking skills. Poor judgment and argumentative behavior are natural reactions for toddlers, as seen by their tamper tantrums, and teens, who display a different version of temper tantrums. Those teens who are rude and disrespectful are in need of boundaries and limits, given with love. Parents who can reach and teach their child without anger will have greater success at changing unwanted behaviors. Most any behavior can be changed. It takes a parent armed with love, dedication and some great guidelines to make a difference. Read my syndicated column, Teach your teenager to respect you.
Diana Boggia has a masters degree in education with licensure in preschool, elementary and special education. She taught children with multiple disabilities for 15 years and has been working with parents (families) with behavioral concerns for more than 23 years. She develops individualized strategies to build self esteem and diminish negative, attention-seeking behaviors for each child to be successful in achieving remarkable results. Throughout her work with parents Diana has developed a program that includes hands-on materials encompassing limit-setting, developing structure with schedules, teaching time management, increasing listening skills and parenting with incentives, rather than threats. These successful strategies have changed the dynamics of many families who were struggling with their child’s behaviors.
