Walk through this with me…

Imagine being woken up in the morning and being rushed to brush your teeth.

Then you’re told what to eat, when to eat your breakfast, and what food you’re eating.

For the next 6 hours, every minute of your day is structured by someone else…where to look, what to read, when you can talk, even down to when you are able to use the bathroom. You come home and follow a similar pattern as the morning. You’re then told to go to sleep and wake up to do it all over again. Any takers? Didn’t think so.

When someone asks about why their kid is pushing back, I walk through a child’s day as we just did. Why? To drive home this point: Kids have no control over their day.

Yes, kids need structure, but they also need to feel a sense of ownership. When kids feel in control, they act in control. Of course, our kids can’t make all the decisions – if they did, we’d be having ice cream for every meal! So, what can we do? We can do small things to give our kids the feeling of being in control.

This can be as simple as:

“What color plate would you like to use for dinner?”

“Which shirt would you like to wear today?”

“Do you think we should take a bath before or after reading time? It’s your choice!”

“Which way should we walk home today?”

What is something that you can give your kid control over today? Click here to read more about giving children choices.

If your child is struggling and you need parenting support, Lake Norman Family Therapy is happy to serve you. Reach out using our Contact Us Form.