Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Grow Mama Grow

Home
About
Contact
All Posts
- Islamophobia and The Prophets: What We Can Learn
- Is Islamophobia a Reality at School? How to Talk to Your Kids About It
  - There’s a Used Condom on My Door Handle: Hate Crimes and the Burden of Proof

Home
Muslim
Keys to Successful Parenting- Managing Behavior Problems

Keys to Successful Parenting- Managing Behavior Problems

Last updated on: July 5, 2013 at 9:40 am by Admin GrowMama

Keys to Successful Parenting- Managing Behavior Problems 2013-07-05T09:40:37-04:00 Admin GrowMama

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This is the final article in our series, Keys to Successful Parenting Series. In case you missed them, click here for Part I (Improve Eating Habits) and Part II (Improve Sleeping Habits).

—

Behavioral problems are very common in children and need to be dealt with carefully in order to effectively manage them and to encourage positive behaviors in their place. One important thing to remember is that every behavior has a function. Maybe your child is trying to communicate something to you indirectly by throwing a tantrum or crying. Are they hungry? Are they tired? Are they sleep-deprived? Are they feeling sibling rivalry? Do they need a hug or some reassurance? Sometimes you need to investigate to get to the root of the problem.

Keep in mind that children usually act in inappropriate ways for four general reasons:

To gain attention
To gain access to a something they want, such as a toy or activity
To escape or avoid something they do not like
For sensory feedback

In order for us to understand a behavior, we need to look at what happens before and immediately after. Is the behavior a result of something that occurred in the child’s environment? Do they get something they want or do they get to escape something they don’t want after exhibiting this behavior? We need to examine what is reinforcing the behavior. Attention is one of the most common reinforcers- if a child receives attention from those around him or her for a behavior, they are likely to repeat it.

Here are some tips you can use to dispel negative behaviors and encourage a positive alternative:

Teach the child what you do want them to do in place of the inappropriate behavior.
Use “do language” with the child, to help them understand and learn the correct behavior. “Do language” tells the child what to do, rather than telling them to “stop” or “don’t do that”.

Consistency is the key to change. Approach everyone who interacts with your child, such as your spouse, older siblings, grandparents and teachers, to get them on board. Children need and want boundaries and rules because they make them feel secure. They like to feel that their environment is predictable and when each member in the family or in the child’s environment acts differently in response to their behavior, this confuses the child and makes them feel unsafe

Provide an environment that promotes successful engagement. Most children love to explore their environment and interact and play with different things, as it helps them to better understand their surroundings. Challenging behaviors can often occur when a child is bored or wants attention. Providing an environment that promotes exploration can reduce boredom and unacceptable behavior.

Do not compare your child to his or her siblings or to other children. Your child is unique and special and should never be compared to others as this can cause feelings of inadequacy and perpetuate issues with their self-esteem.

If you have enjoyed this series of articles on strategies to improve your child’s feeding, sleeping and behaviour, I’m certain that you will enjoy and benefit from our full course which includes a wealth of information on each of these topics.

Please visit us for more information.

Runda Ebied

Runda obtained her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Western University in London, Ontario, where she also currently resides with her family. She has partnered up with the Muslim Women Success Coach website to deliver a course entailing a series of webinars regarding childhood-related issues and strategies to deal with them effectively. Runda has a passion for working with children and has experience working with children with various disorders.

Previous Post

March 21, 2013

Let Sparks Fly

Next Post

March 28, 2013 GrowMama Picks for March 2013

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book and Movie Reviews Community Connecting with Allah Counselor's Corner Environment fatherhood five stars GrowBaba Spotlight GrowMama Picks Growmama Roundup Health Light Fare marriage Motherhood Reflections moving Parenthood Photography Poems Schooling Self-development tragedy Tutorials Uncategorized

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 November 2008

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jesus Paul Moses Peter