When your child becomes a ‘big kid’, he or she will get into a period when defiance is a common thing. Don’t be surprised if your kid starts thinking of excuses only to avoid doing the things that you’ve asked them to. For example, the big kid might claim that there’s a lot of homework to be done, only to avoid cleaning up the toys.
This period, in which your child turns to a small rebel, starts around the age of 5 and lasts for a couple of years. Some children, though, go through this period without changing their behavior. In most cases, this is not because of the children, but because of the parents. All that’s needed is the right approach to the big kid discipline!
In order to help you out, here are the most common questions about big kid discipline, as well as the answers!
1. What to Do When your Kid Starts Lying?
Sometimes, in order to avoid doing certain things that they consider boring, big kids might decide to lie. For example, they might say they got too much homework to do in order to excuse themselves from the task of picking up toys. The solution to this problem is to make the kid aware that you know when they’re lying.
But, instead of telling that straight to their face, you can try doing it more subtly. In this particular example, the thing you’re supposed to do is ensure the kid does the homework properly – ifthat was the reason for not cleaning up the toys. Otherwise, your kid might end up watching TV instead of doing the homework.
2. What if Kid is Being Sarcastic?
Between the age of 5 and 8, children tend to like to appear clever. They might start replying to the questions with sarcastic comments, which some people find annoying. But, this does not necessarily mean that your kid is doing it in order to upset you.
On the contrary, this might be their way of mirroring your actions. If sarcasm is something that you use in everyday language, you can be sure that this is where you child has picked it up. So, if you don’t like, make sure to stop doing it yourself!
3. What to do If Your Kid is Not Doing Well in School?
How well the child will behave at school depends a lot on what’s going on at home. You need to be involved in your child’s education, from early on. What this means is that if your child is having problems focusing at school, you can make it up by helping them with the homework. Furthermore, you can talk to the teacher for more valuable tips.
4. What if Your Kid is Becoming a Bully?
The feeling of power is what’s causing bullying. By picking on weaker kids, the bully will feel more secure. This brings us to the root cause of bullying – feeling insecure. So, in order to prevent your kid from becoming a bully, you need to work on their self-confidence. But, this should be your long-term plan.
Your short-term plan is to stop your kid bullying others immediately. The moment you notice that bullying is going on, you need to address it. By reacting right away, you show your kid that bullying is something that you won’t tolerate!
5. What if Your Kid is Ignoring You?
If your child is not reacting to your efforts to discipline them, the most important thing is not to lose patience. Parenting takes a lot of effort and sometimes can be rather challenging. But, this doesn’t mean that you should give up.
On the contrary, you need to be even more persistent. This way, your child will realize that you are determined to lead them onto the right path and will have no other choice than to accept it.
