Your questions answered by Dr Angharad Rudkin of Greatvine.com
How can I help my child to behave well?
The 3 basic principles of good behaviour management are consistency, clarity and confidence.
Consistency
When children know what is expected of them and what the consequences are of different behaviours they are more likely to behave in the way we would like. So be consistent with your child – let them know what the boundaries are and keep these at the same place. If one day you order your child to bed and the next day you let them stay up until 2 am then that child is going to be confused about what you want, and therefore less likely to behave the way you want them to.
Clarity
Be clear about what you want your child to do – don’t give them generalised messages like “be a good boy”. Instead be clear about what you want them to do “Play nicely”, “Don’t hit others”, and “Keep your hands to yourself in the shop”.
Confidence
Be confident when setting boundaries for your children – say what you mean and mean what you say. Children are very good at picking up on our feelings, and if you are not confident about asking them to do something then they’re not going to be confident about doing it.
Dr Angharad Rudkin
Dr Angharad Rudkin is a Chartered Clinical Child Psychologist with over 10 years of experience working with children and families. She has a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Oxford and provides therapy within the NHS and privately.
Dr Rudkin specialties include adolescent anxiety, and depression, stemming from bereavement, divorce and other life events. For individual advice by phone book a private call with Dr Angharad Rudkin at www.greatvine.com/angharad_rudkin.
For help with behaviour, speak with Angharad Rudkin and other parenting experts at Greatvine.com
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