There are tons of behaviors exhibited by kids that parents must not ignore. I took my kids to the playground and just sat somewhere to watch the children play. Several other kids were there, too, but my attention was drawn to a child who wasn’t playing fair. The rule was to kick the ball once, but he kicked twice and bullied the rest of the kids in accepting his unfair play because he was bigger. The other kids just had to keep up because they just wanted to have some fun. This made me wonder if he puts up this same act at home. Does he bully his younger siblings or cousins? are his parents aware of his behaviours? and many other random thoughts

Parents shouldn’t ignore the bad behaviours their children exhibit; rather, they should be curbed and corrected almost immediately. Do not pamper and manage bad attitudes from your kids, teach, correct and discipline them appropriately. If you allow a child to get used to acting disrespectful, or defiant and then try to correct these behaviours when they’re reaching adolescence, it’s going to be a lot tougher to turn that ship around. 

Here are 7 common behaviors parents should not ignore.

Whining/ Complaining

Complaining about almost everything and anything is not good behaviour and it should not be ignored by parents, ‘oh! The food is too hot or it’s too cold, the queue at the tuck shop is too long, I am too tired to walk, my hands and legs are paining me, the list of complaints is endless, they find an excuse to give when they are supposed to be at a thing or the other carrying out tasks and chores. The reason why they dish out these complaints is that they believe and have learned that complaining often helps them avoid unpleasant tasks. It also surely results in loads of attention. Even though it’s exasperating, ignore all complaining and caution them from whining and complaining unnecessarily.

Cursing

Cursing is bad behaviour and should not be encouraged. kids could learn curse words from their peers at school, environment, and surroundings or tv shows and movies that are not appropriate for them to watch. Caution them as early as possible and teach them that cursing is verbal abuse and it’s not the right attitude to grow in. Rather teach them better ways to express their grievances and displeasures.

Interrupting when others are talking

In your child’s mind, the thing he/she needs to tell you is the most important thing in the world that they don’t realize that other people might have needs that are as important as theirs, so they interrupt. Parents need to teach their kids that it is appropriate to wait until a natural pause in the conversation and politely say, “Excuse me,” or raise their hands to signify they have something to say. This attitude will greatly improve those classroom interactions and other communication interactions in the future.

Bullying

Parents often worry that their child may be bullied, and harassed.  What If your child is the perpetrator? Correct and caution your child immediately if you suspect or find out that they’ve been mean and aggressive toward someone and have engaged in gossiping, teasing, or insulting behaviour. Find out why they did these things and talk to them about why bullying is absolutely unacceptable and harmful.

Lying/ dishonesty

All kids engage in lying at some point, and very young children are often unable to distinguish between lying and imaginative play. But as kids get older, they may deliberately tell lies for specific reasons either to avoid getting into trouble or getting away with something they have done wrong.  Please do not overlook this attitude and they might just gradually graduate into professional liars which is very bad. Teach them the rewards of honesty, and discourage any dishonest behaviour or attitude.

Theft

Children may take things that are not theirs. Ensure to address this issue appropriately, ask them the motivation behind the action, and ask them to return or pay for the item. Teach them the consequence of theft and do not encourage or ignore such an attitude.

Sibling Rivalry

Is your home a battleground, and are you tired of being a referee? Sibling rivalry is the jealousy, competition, and fighting between brothers and sisters. Parents should try to help their kids get along better and work through conflicts in positive ways. Do not ignore your kids when they are fighting or quarrelling but rather visit the root cause of the issue and help them resolve it as fairly as possible. Set your kids up to cooperate rather than compete.  For example, encourage activities that require them to work together and discourage every form of rivalry amongst siblings. It will save you stress and also create a happy and healthy relationship among siblings and the entire family.

The list continues, but these are just seven common behaviours parents should never ignore.

It is never too early to start handling these behaviours, instead of ignoring them.  Correcting and teaching children good morals and behaviours at a young age shapes their development and personality as they grow.

If you love this article, then you should also like to read Seven good manners to teach your children