Sydney clinical psychologist Dr Anna Cohen has a new book Parenting Made Easy: The Early Years to help guide you through what can be your toughest test.
Children aren’t perfect, nor are parents, but you can work to develop considerate behaviour from your children and what is grounds for concern, says Dr Cohen, from Kids & Co.
MANAGING PARENTING CHALLENGES – CONSEQUENCES
While development comes naturally to children, understanding behavioural expectations does not. Preschool- aged children are more able to develop an internalised ethic and to understand boundaries and expectations when they are consistent, clear and fair. As parents, we sometimes ask our children questions such as ‘Why do you never listen to me?’ This is often said as part of an attempt to understand why children act in certain ways, especially when their behaviour is challenging. It can sound like an accusation, inadvertently creating greater hostility in the relationship between parent and child. This sort of situation often comes about when a parent feels frustrated or angry and wants to ensure their child knows how bad they are feeling. This is a negative and unhelpful approach, which at worst can become abusive as anger and frustration increase.
