38 Responses to How To Discipline A Child That Breaks The Rules And Doesn’t Listen

1. My 33 month old son knows I love him all the time, even if he’s behaving badly.
   He continues to climb on a certain chair. I’ve explained how and why I don’t want him to do so. I have (100 times) taken him down. I’ve told him how his sister (1 year behind him) follows what he does, and tries to climb as well. (He reprimands her and says she can get, “Bad boo-boos.”)
   None of this, in including my upset, gets him to stop.
   I am a stay at home Mom who is never on a device while her kids are up. He is showered with positive one on one attention all day long. Our ” connection” is strong.
   So, what do I do about this behavior. He ignores my pleas, assertions, to get down.

2. Hi! I’d suggest using positive reinforcement. On days that you’re sure he doesn’t climb the chair, or when you see him using it properly (e.g. sitting in it not climbing it) give him something he likes! He could have a sticker. Then offer better incentives after a week of continuous non-chair climbing. Maybe a trip to an ice cream place!

3. There are some really great discipline strategies here, thank you. I also find that gently assisting my children when they are struggling to follow instructions is helpful. Eg: After not stopping jumping on the couch when they have been told I might say. “You really like jumping on the couch. I don’t want the couch ruined so I am going to help you to stop. If you would like to jump you can bounce on the trampoline.” I find that with my children it is much easier to set limits before they have pushed them too far or before I am finding myself getting cranky. They appreciate the support to prevent them testing too far as it makes them feel safe and secure. What do you think?

4. Kerri, as Kate said, how about give him an opportunity to climb on smth that is ok. Seems his body simply needs climbing experience to regulate 🙂

5. Hi Kerri, toddlers are experts at repeating things over and over again while they learn about social interactions, limits and what parents expect. Sometimes we get stuck in stop mode “you can’t climb on this” and forget to move towards a CAN DO substitute in a very calm way. It might be helpful to just sit on that chair so that it is off limits. THis is a clear limit and it may bring up some tears, in which case listening to the tears and validating feelings would be the next step. it might sound something like “I see you are upset, because I will not let you climb.” After that, finding alternative outlets like climbing at the playground or even set up a very fun area in the house for physical work, like a mattress and some big cushions for jumping on safely can help too. This climbing exchange is fulfilling some sort of need, physical or emotional, From what you describe, it seems to have become a routine of sorts, an interaction that is just part of your day and calmly choosing to not engage in that is probably a better way to stop it than to keep with “pleas” which is exhausting. It is probably more helpful to decide what you are going to do about this and stick with the plan, in a way that is not emotionally charged but rather calm and confident. Explaining too much, pleading etc…sends the message that you aren’t sure about your limit. I hope that is helpful.

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7. Hello. Would it.be.possible for you to help me to know ..how can I help my 6 year old son..because when he get upset he endures so much time angry and dont want to talk or to try to solve the problem even for hours..?
   Thank you

8. Ariadne, my name is Isabeau, and I am the proud mother to two beautiful girls, one 2 mo old and the other, a spunky, SUPER SMART 3 1/2 yo. I am married and have the youngest daughter from my marriage, and my oldest daughter is from a past relationship out of wedlock. My toddler Roarie spends 3 days with her father, and 4 days home with my husband and her sister and I the rest of the week. I know that she runs the house when she is with her father, and he allows her to get away with a lot. When she comes home, my husband and I have to be the disciplinairies and it can be rather exhausting. Unfortunately, her paternal father is a narcissistic co parent… He is very manipulative and, most times, very unreasonable. We have had to resort to legalities and things in the past to be able to make decisions for her because he is power hungry and constantly uses her as a weapon to keep hold of some control over me. That being said, the consequences for bad behavior are not equal from one house to another, and when she comes home every week, my husband and I end up spending a day and a half getting her back to normal again. She comes back very sassy, wanting to test boundaries constantly, deliberately Doing things she is asked not to, and not taking me seriously the first time I ask her not to do something. She is very good with the new baby, and loves her SO much! I try to keep her involved as much as possible, but we’re home-locked a lot of the time because the baby is so small yet. She gets bored and acts out and occasionally I lose my temper and yell. She gets upset and it’s heartbreaking. I need some guidance as to how to be PATIENT and teach differently then my parents taught me. Let’s just say they didn’t have the recourses that I have now to parent gently. Any advice is welcomed 🙂 thank you!

9. I have a 6 & 2 year old boys my oldest son has a hard time listening to rules and to myself or my husband i dont want my yougest to pick the bad behavior up… when my husband and i say “No” he goes full out explode and whines for awhile… what do i do

10. Okay I babysit a few foster kids and I’m having a lot of Trouble with the five year old he blantently ignores me when I’m talking to him and then of he is upset he acts like an angry toddler and kicks screams and cries to get his way, I have explained my reasons for every rule which is like 4 of them because I usually just take him to the bus stop and get him from the bus and all have to do with being safe and respectful of others. how do I get him to see I’m not being mean I’m doing what’s best for him

11. My seven year old must have gotten up early this morning, because when I got up there was coffee water all over the counter top. Ok .. fine *hands him paper towels* Clean it up right? Don’t play with adult stuff. Then I pick the coffee pot up and the bottom is broken off. >__< WTH? So now he's up in his room writing out why it's dangerous to touch adult things. (He can get cut by the glass, or burned by the hot water.)

    Any ideas on what else I can have him do so that he gets that these everyday things have a hidden danger to them? (To kids its not obvious that they are dangerous!)

    Boy … our parents had the lazy way yell and give a spanking. 😛 But that's a suck way to do things I want him to learn why it's wrong and dangerous, so he doesn't do that again. So how to teach him it's not good to touch outer peoples stuff?

    Also he's severe ADHD real super impulsive so it's going to be harder and take longer. It doesn't help matters when his father tells him: He can't help it. !@# oh yes he can, I had ADHD and he can so help it. !@#$ Anyways any advice would be great as I grew up with paddling, yelling and yelling day long lectures and that doesn't teach anything but how to be sneaky and have fear for your dad/mom :/

    Thanks for any advice.

12. Hi Jessica

    Does your son have someone following him for the ADHD? Positive discipline can work very well with children with ADHD, I have used many of the tools with a foster child with adhd – it’s really helpful to implement routines, agreements, and to have plenty of special time each week too. Kids with adhd get told often that they are doing something wrong, but often receive very little encouragement. Try to notice three to four things that are positive each time you are together, maybe compliment your son on one of these things you notice. As for safety issues, at age seven repetition and repetition and asking your child to repeat back what they have understood are your best friends. Yes it may seem like a lot of work, but this is what your son needs, positive, respectful guidance he can count on to keep him feeling safe and loved. I would encourage you to find ways your son can make meaningful contributions to the household. “adult stuff” is interesting because children notice how much can be done with all those things – maybe teach him HOW to make you coffee? Maybe he wants to help cook, wash veggies? rake leaves? If these moments are shared, meaning you work together (not as a mandatory chore or consequence) children learn skills and learn to be responsible!!! Hope that helps you.

13. How do you maintain positive discipline ie no threats of punishment to get a kid motivated to cooperate within a largish family? I will soon have 4 kids and one of my kids consistently is defiant and oppositional. He does have some gut health problems that we are currently addressibg, but in the meantime me and the other members of the family are missing out on outings and sports practices when he gets into one of his oppositional moods. I dont bother taking him out in public when he acts like this anymore. I am afraid his older sibling will eventually come to resent him.

14. Hi Amanda,
    Not sure how old your child is but if you are noticing that this opposition is interfering with every day activities it would be very important to get this sorted out for all of you as quickly as possible. I understand that the gut issues can bring up irritability and crankiness for sure but It’s tiring for you and also for the child that is struggling to go through this opposition all the time. Have you worked with positive discipline tools already or is this something you are looking into starting? For sure one thing you can do, even if it’s an extra step is always preparing ahead, talking things through with your child what the day / outing will be like and what the child needs to succeed. Making agreements or a CAN DO PLAN can be a great help too so that what you decide together what happens if your child starts to have a hard time. Because you call it a mood I am going to guess that it doesn’t happen all the time but often enough to be very difficult for you – so understanding what prompts these can be some help too. These situations are best worked out individually either with coaching or in person because it’s important to get a sense for the dynamic of the whole family AND to understand the needs of the child. For sure, no child wants to be stuck in this opposition and you obvious care a great deal about your kids so it’s very likely that you can overcome this challenge.

15. I have a 24 month old who happily gets in the car as long as she’s allowed to do it herself but then screams like I’m murdering her when I try and put her seatbelt on. I’ve tried asking her what she’s feeling, naming her emotions etc but it makes no difference. I explain to her why she needs to wear a seatbelt every time, show her mine and other passengers belts. If I have time I take her out of the car, give her a cuddle etc. I tell her we can’t go anywhere until the seatbelt is on and I stay calm and relaxed the entire time (outwardly!!) In the end I have to force the seatbelt on while I gently explain why and tell her I love her and kiss her as she screams blue murder. She calms down after about a minute. This has been going on in almost every car trip for about a month. What do I do???

16. Hi there! I have a 5 year old he is 6 in March, who consistently doesn’t listen. For example, he will wake up in the middle of the night go out to our living room and watch television. I have a rule, a new one albeit I started it maybe 3 weeks ago, that if a parent isn’t awake we play quietly with our library voices in our bedrooms until a parent wakes up (that is usually 6am) he will wake up his little brother, make him scream and cry, he will bang his feet on the walls, and just all around be extremely loud. He gets pretty aggressive with his little brothers, to the point that they scream and cry and when they do he has no idea why they are crying. I’ve explained to him time and time again that they are smaller then him and he needs to play gently with them. He continues to play rough with them. I’m just not sure what to do with him. I also have an almost 2 year old boy, who constantly takes things from his brothers, for example they got a lot of legos for Christmas, his brothers would be building things in their room, he will go in there and kick the legos destroying what they spent time building. I will ask him to put something simple away, like his favorite stuffed dog and he will just throw it on the floor. Is there a way to curv that? Thanks for any advice!

17. Do you still have her in a car seat? (She should be in one still). She may just be feeling independent. Can she buckle herself and then be checked by you to make sure all is correct? My oldest could buckle her car seat alone at 2 (I always checked it), my second couldn’t until much older. Perhaps let her pick a new toy that she may only play with while buckled. As soon as the buckle is off the toy goes away.

18. I have a 13 year old that refuses to follow a single rule. I try to positively reinforce but it’s hard when he doesn’t do anything to be positive about. He has been kind this since he was young and we have tried everything to curve the behavior. Any advice?

19. Hello I just came across this post. My step daughter is 11, she’ll be 12 in a couple months. Since she was 10 she’s been told to clean her room 3 days a week, brush her teeth when she wakes up and goes to bed and most importantly shower EVERYDAY. On those days she supposed to clean her room she plays with her toys and watches tv when she was told chores first and had the habit of saying “I forgot”. Her, her father and I ALWAYS have long talks when she doesn’t listen and tell her she will be punished because she doesn’t listen. We usually make her write a page describing why she didn’t listen and clean her room, brush her teeth and what she was doing that was more important. It’s the SAME EXACT story EVERY TIME she doesn’t follow rules. I tried cutting days off but she still doesn’t listen. We always tell her NO TV OR TOYS BEFORE CHORES we even taped her chore days and list on her wall where she can see it and we also explain the consequences. She still doesn’t listen and proceeds to do what she wants then cries when we tell her write a page explaining why she didn’t listen. I tried doing the opposite but still no luck. As far as showering she will shower everyday at home but when we allow her to go to her grandparents for a week or two every other week during summer break she won’t shower for days nor change her clothes. I explain to her she’s a girl and she needs to be clean especially since she has her period already. She always says she “forgets” in the hygiene section also. Do you have any tips or advice about going about this? My next step was to take everything away, no tv and no other privileges as in going out and having fun. I’ve only been making her write a paper for the past year every time she doesn’t listen but still no difference she continues to do what she wants.

20. Hello Kristiana,

    As you have noticed, punishments and external threats do not usually motivate children to do what you want them to do. Self care and care for belongings is a very important skill and children are more likely to do these things if they feel ownership and an internal reason to do them. When you take away TV and make your daughter write letters or lines is she learning any valuable self-organization or care skills? What is the likelihood she is feeling resentful and determined to watch some TV to feel better and escape the feeling of having yet again done something wrong? Do you think there is a chance the child is using lack of hygiene as a way to control something in her own life? The answers to helping children care is to help them see themselves as capable – of doing things without fear of punishment. There are times when SAFE and NATURAL consequences might help – for example what happens if her room is not cleaned up? Do belongings get lost or broken? Does the child have TOO much and needs help learning to organize? Has the child been asked to solve her own problem or be part of the solution? What are the positives in the child’s life? I hope this helps you reflect and possible find a positive way to encourage your daughter.

21. When she does do her chores she gets money or we buy her things she wants. She came from a background of showering once a week and every time she did something she wasn’t supposed to she would cry and she would never get punished for it. All is has to do in her room is sweep and make sure it’s organized. She confessed she doesn’t like taking showers and I told her she’s going to start to smell down there especially when she already has her period. She never played with toys until she had chores and uses that as a escape to not do them. I noticed it’s a pattern. One week she’ll decide to do her chores on those 3 days the next week all she does is watch tv all day and on those exact days she will decide to play with toys. I’m just a step mom who has been raising her for the past 6 years. She barely sees her mother but when her mother will tell her she needs to shower everyday and do her chores she will listen to her instead. We had a long talk and she said she doesn’t think she should get punished and she should be able to do what she wants and not listen to me or her father. I’m just trying to teach the basics. I told her if she is old enough to have crushes, write adult stories and play on her phone then she can clean her room. I taught her plenty of times how to clean, organize and sweep but she decides to do what she wants.

22. My daughter is 6 1/2 and does not listen. It is causing a strain and resentment in our relationship as it feels like a constant battle, with both of us getting angry and frustrated. She constantly picks her baby sister up (1) under the arms and carries her around the lounge. I have explained 100+ times why I do not want her to do it (calmly at first, but more recently not so). Yesterday she did it whilst I was out of the room and dropped her as she lost balance and her sister crashed into the corner of the marble fireplace, resulting in a trip to A&E. It’s small things, it’s big things – she does not seem to learn from it at all, and will do the same the next day and the next. I am a work from home mum and my husband works 6 days a week. She does crave attention. But as this persists, as she continues to rule break and not listen I can feel a rift forming between us – mutual resentment that she cannot do as she wishes and I’m not listened to. I don’t want to be the yelling angry mum, but each time it angers me more than the last, where I can’t talk calmly to her about the same thing again. I don’t know what to do.

23. Hi Michelle,
    It sounds like you have noticed your child is craving attention and breaking rules to get it. This attention seeking behavior can lead to a lot of struggles when not addressed. With a small baby sister, I am guessing that your 6 year old is seeing the one year old get a lot of care (babies just require a lot of hands on care) but kids do not see it that way. How can you in your work from home schedule also create time for your 6 year old? Daily quality time will lead to much better behavior if you invest the time. As far as picking up the baby – supervision is a must. Your six year old has proven she isn’t ready for the responsibility of being trusted with that request. so keep baby close to you and always know where the other child is. Ultimately as parents it’s up to us to keep each child safe and protected. Working on quality time and fueling your daughter need for love and connection is sure to make a big difference here if you can invest in that. I know it can take some creative scheduling but I would highly recommend giving it a good try.

24. Hi Ariadne,

    Thank you for all the tips. I have a 28 month old and he has begun to throw everything, mostly when he is mad. A few days ago, he broke daddy’s phone. I felt that we both could have reacted better. What would you have done?? Any book recommendations?

    Thank You!

25. Hi Ally,

    This is such a wonderful and yet challenging phase of parenting. Around age 2 children can go from curious to “furious” in what seems like the blink of an eye. Much of discipline at this age is about prevention and coaching kids to do better. As you might have noticed even if we ask kids not to do something like “don’t throw” or “Give that back” often the feelings behind the throwing action is already in motion. I find what works best at this age is loads of positive, connected discipline. Making sure to create a really strong bond with the child and making discipline not something children fear but instead being that voice – that guide that your child will WANT to listen to because they feel like you are safe, kind yet firm (not mean) when necessary. In the case of the phone, I’m not sure how far you were, but 1. keep things that are fragile out of reach 2. Don’t be afraid to step in close and hug your child or use gentle physical touch to get their attention first. Only then ask them to hand you the phone or offer a “switch” item. 3. Try time-ins for helping your child learn to calm down. Just simply take a short break together, don’t expect much, your child may not want to talk about what he is feeling at this age. Just your calm presence is enough. Since you asked for a recommendation, I think you might enjoy the terrific toddlers course very much – we look at what is going on with your child at this age and stage and what kind of guidance they need from you to listen well. You get practical parenting tools you can put to use right away to get more cooperation and reduce rule breaking! You can see more information about it here: http://classroom.positiveparentingconnection.net/p/toddlers If you prefer a book, you can check out Positive Discipline First Three Years http://amzn.to/2wKKPR6 Hope that helps you!

26. Hi Ariadne,

    I have a 5 year old child and he is getting addicted to TV and Video games (he plays when he visits his cousins place) and keep demanding to go to their place everyday and keep whinging about it all the time. I just get out of control every time I listen that. What should I do?

27. Hello Kamal,

    It’s important to set clear limits for your child and to find ways to uphold those limits with respect. If your child is demanding something and whining and eventually he is given what he wants he is learning that demanding works. Instead try to find how you can make your rules clear and offer alteratives to these video games and TV that are interesting and fun. Our mission cooperation course is a great way to find tools to help you make your rules and values clear to your child in a positive and respectful way.

28. Hi Ariadne,

    Can you please help? I am a grandparent to a 7 year old that has lived in our household for the last 5 1/2 years. My daughter moved out with him a few miles away with her boyfriend and her 7 yr old son about three weeks ago. My grandson is with his dad three days after school and every other weekend, with my daughter being primary custodian. With this recent move he is going to a new school (the last school he was there 2 yrs and a just a month or so into this school year). Since going to the new school my daughter has told me that he is acting out in class, getting in trouble two weeks ago Fri., he was running to get in line and fell, which left a scratch on his forehead. My concern is the way he is being disciplined. They have taken all his toys out if his room and she did not allow him to go trick or treating. I stopped by today and he said he wanted me to see his room. I asked him why, he told me to just come look. I asked him where his toys were he said ask mom, she told me that he should tell me (which I know they were placed in the back storage). Neither would tell me, any more, but my daughter had already told me that they had taken his toys out. He doesn’t even want to hug me or give me a kiss, this is very upsetting and the entire situation us breaking my heart. My daughter tells me that she knows what she is doing when I am trying to give advise. I feel so bad and it is tearing me up. Please help! Any advise! I did last suggest she speak to a guidance counselor at his school to she if they could shed some light on how to handle him and what he is going through, why he is acting out. Any advise? Thank you!

29. Dear Alison, you clearly care so much about your grandson. As he is now in the care of his mother after being in your care for a long time it is likely very confusing for him as to why this is all happening. His acting out is likely his mistaken way of communicating his confusion and fear. While it’s important to allow them to find their way of getting along and building their relationship, if you have regular contact with your grandson your role can be one of reassuring him that you love him and care for him and that you enjoy spending time with him. This doesn’t have to translate into spoiling him with rewards or treats – instead to be a source of conversation, playing games, going for walks, listening about school without telling him to be “good” and “well-behaved” instead just listen, reflect and validate his experience. As for your daughter and her handling of discipline I wonder if you share with her in a casual way some of the ways you handled any misbehavior when they happened in your home. It’s likely your daughter doesn’t want advice from you, but perhaps she would be willing to listen to a pediatrician or the school teacher? Communication from school tends to get parents interested. The hard part here is to not meddle and give them a chance to work on their own relationship the only exception is If you believe the situation is unsafe for your grandson then, be sure to reach out to a local resources like social services & law enforcement for help right away.

30. This is a great article! My 8 year old is really making me think and struggle. He is a good kid in general, eats well, respectful of his teachers and classmates, does his homework etc. But he does not listen et all. Either he will completely ignore or refuse of what he being asked of. Argues a loy but will not do what he is told to do. Have started lying a lot, he thinks lying is must beacuse other kids do that. He has serious hygiene negligence issue. So I end up asking him, did you wash your hands or such. He will be either, yes I did(while he did not) or no I will not. He will get very assertive about no I will not.
    I have tried staying poaitive and guiding. But all the time not listening, puts me into time constrain. I do not necessarily have enough time to sit down and explore and guide. Specially when he is choosing to not liaten 100% of the time and not following any rules.
    Please guide me how can I help him.

31. OK Im sorry but Ive done all that is listed in these articles and many more, but still have a 4y/o soon to be 5 in Feb 2018 not listening. It has become a big frustration due to the fact nothing my wife and I do works. We’ve even gone to the extent of getting allergy testing to see if it was something n the food or environment that could be the cause. Both my wife (RN) and I (FF/Medic) are in the medical field and have tried taking a more reasonable and educated route compared to what we grew up on (spankings and punishment). We dont want to go that route since everyone is saying its bad for children to receive this kind of punishment, but my wife and I could never imagine not listening to our parents growing up. People may say it was due to fear, but we say it was a respect thing. I read so many comments on parents who like me are trying to do better and go by what “Professionals” are saying, but some of the things advised just doesn’t work or cant be accomplished due to work, home duties, other children and responsibilities that require our time to be divided. And of course in a perfect world and a person who is a therapist who life is social behaviors can see improvement due to the fact their career revolves around this. Its no different than a Personal Trainer who is in the best shape in the world, who does nothing but work out and tell the next person who has a life/career not in the fitness industry to do the same. Its just beyond frustrating. Ive sat my child to have a conversation and speak on their level and i ask him if he understands and half the time he doesnt get a lot of concepts or constructs im trying to relay. And by no means is my child slow or behind (he scored above average on all his recent VPK assessments), but to be honest expecting a child to understand things that for us took years and years to learn is kind of asking for much. I just see so many parents feel as failures because of their approach isnt working that is being taught by the Professionals. They have taken away spankings, time outs, being stern, etc and have left us with nothing.

32. George,
    I hear your frustration, and work with parents every day that share the same experience that you are sharing. They wonder why it was such that they respected their own parents and “listened” and in reflecting and talking they often realize that if they had listened so well as they think they did, why do they also remember getting spanked, grounded or yelled at quite a bit?

    As a mom, I hear you that having a 4 year old that doesn’t listen is very frustrating and puzzling. I went into parent education precisely because I realized that there is so much information overload, much of the tools that work effectively and long term are getting hidden beneath “miracle phrases” and “magic discipline” that actually are very short lived solutions.

    This entire site and our online classroom is dedicated to sharing with parents very specific alternatives with you to spanking, time outs and being stern.

    Here is an alternative to being stern for example: Being kind and firm at the same time means you communicate clearly and calmly exactly what you mean: Such as saying “I see you really like this truck, AND I am not going to buy it for you.” or “you left your shoes in the hallway, WHEN then they are cleaned up THEN you can ask me again about playing with the tablet.”

    Another alternative is setting a clear limit “Sleep and Lights out is at 8. It’s too late to read another story. We can save this story for tomorrow.” or “You want more chocolate and it’s too close to dinner. We are going to save that chocolate for another day.”

    Your four year old will not thank you for these kind, firm and clear limits. In fact your four year old may dislike them very, very much. This is where our job gets to be different from past generations – instead of spanking the 4 yr old for disliking or crying about that limit – you can empathize or validate the struggle “you wish I had said yes to the truck” …. You don’t have to give in because of tears or protests. It’s definitely not quick or free from effort but it’s well worth it.

    I would be happy to have you join our online classroom so you can get more tools and to hear more about your experience, what you have tried and what you are seeing as “Failure”. If you are truly wanting to make a positive way work for you send me an email info@positiveparentingconnection.net as I’d really like to work with you and listen to your honest feedback.

33. […] Use connected, positive discipline: When your child is having a hard time listening, following rules and not cooperating, skip blame and punishments. Focus on working together, on […]

34. Hi my son will be 5 in February. He is very active, always on go, very sensitive,emotional, and chooses not to listen when asked to do something or stop doing something. This leads to melt downs, tantrums like calling me mean names. Like stupid, idiot, I’m going to kill my self like a flood gate. If you try to talk to him at this point he covers his ears and yells. After this emotional ordeal he will talk it out but sometimes he just sits there I feel like he is numb or maybe it’s the both of us! If he does not get his was he freaks out. Also he embarrass very easily. I need help! Soap, the time out chair, yelling or threanting is not working . He also talks to my mom this way since she is the Nannie and my husband and I work full time. We did have a baby almost a year ago and I know this is playing a part into his behavior too. I’m stressed sorry! Thank you!

35. My 3yr old granddaughter came to live with me 7mos ago with her 5yr old sister. She has been spoiled terribled but only her not sister. Now things r fair and she doesnt lke it. She breaks everyones things including my sons which has down syndrome. Ive done everything she does not respond yo anything pisitive or negative. Shows no feelings and says she does what she wants to do or she says cauae Im bad. I tell her all the time I dont raise bad kids she usnt bad. I hVe 5 kids of my own only one at home so Im not new to this but she will mot lusten1. HELP

36. Hello Brenda,
    It sounds like a lot of changes happened for this 3 year old. It would be very important to make sure that she is having consistent routines, lots of positive interactions with you and plenty of time to play. I’m not sure what the daily schedule looks like but 3 year olds enjoy playtime, independent play, social opportunities such as being with other children, going to the playground to move etc…Continue to set clear limits and help the 3 year old follow your requests by being kind and clear at the same time. While she isn’t a small baby anymore, house proofing and making sure she can’t access valuables or things to break is important as well.

37. Hi Lauren,

    Having some positive strategies to help your boy when he is struggling would be very important for him to develop good self-control skills and be better able to listen to you and follow your requests. Sometimes older siblings have a tough time accepting the baby in the family, especially when the baby is clearly going to be staying around and is clearly a permanent part of the family. In this time, helping your son feel safe and secure and sure of your love is really important. Setting clear and respectful limits is also very important. Our class for the first five years is full of tools and helpful lessons to help you get simple and effective ways to stop this kind of behavior and help your son feel more capable. screaming at you and dealing with meltdowns doens’t have to be the reality, you can change your interactions and help your son do better. You can find more information about our course here: Positive Parenting First Five Years

38. […] Positive parenting connection […]