Parents often worry about their kids being bullied or ragged by others at nursery or school, so it’s always a shock when you learn that your child is the bully.
Dealing with aggressive behavior and toddler tantrums can really put your parenting skills to the test. There are various possible reasons for which your child may resort to bullying and physical violence, but they can be easily addressed through firm parenting.
Toddlers and preschoolers are not exactly attuned to social etiquette and sometimes find it easiest to express their feelings of anger, neglect, or frustration by lashing out.
If your child has such a problem, it may help to try out these simple tips to deal with childhood aggression:
1. Provide Physical Outlets
“You can easily prevent such toddler tantrums by providing healthy physical outlets”
Some kids just resort to aggressive behavior because of their high energy levels. Hyperactivity is common among most kids and you can easily prevent such toddler tantrums by providing healthy physical outlets.
Encourage your child to play outdoors and engage in more active sports and games. To get started, supervise your child’s playtime to ensure there’s no bullying on the field!
2. Be Calm While Handling Such Situations
“Physical punishment of kids has been linked with increased aggressive behavior, toddler tantrums, and hyperactivity”
It is extremely important that you remain calm when dealing with childhood bullying. Use positive parenting techniques, as physical punishment of kids has been linked with increased aggressive behaviour, toddler tantrums, and hyperactivity.
You can take your child aside and calmly explain why such behavior is unacceptable.
3. Find Out What’s Driving Such Behavior
“Children who are raised in restrictive environments with few outlets for fun start to lash out and bully other children“
Controlling parents unwittingly suppress healthy childhood instincts by restricting their freedom and failing to provide adequate options.
Children who are raised in such restrictive environment with few outlets for fun start to lash out and bully other children. If you’ve been busy with work and household chores, or with your other kids, your child may also be feeling neglected.
Talk to your child and find out what’d driving such behavior. If you need helps, speak to the school’s counselor or a child psychologist.
4. Check Your Own Behavior
“Mimicry is a natural learning mechanism in kids, and it means that you need to be on your best behavior at all times”
Yes, you can call it the imitation game, but that’s what kids are like. Mimicry is their natural learning mechanism and it means that you need to be on your best behavior at all times.
While you may not be physically violent with others, passive aggressive behavior can also have an impact on your child. Parents who are hostile with each other, neighbors, strangers, or motorists unconsciously encourage aggressive behavior in their kids.
5. Supervise Entertainment
“Children are easily influenced by the heroes they see on the idiot box and will often act out their childish fantasies, frequently manifesting in violent behavior”
Use parental locks and restrictions on TV time, channels, and also on the computer. There is a lot of video and gaming content that is just not suitable for kids because of excessive violence.
Children are easily influenced by their favorite characters and will then proceed to act out their childish fantasies, frequently manifesting in violent behavior.
Several studies have highlighted the increased risk of aggressive behavior in children and adolescents from exposure to electronic media violence.
No one will ever say that parenting is easy! If despite your best efforts your child frequently resorts to bullying and hitting other kids, you could be dealing with a behavioral problem and should seek help from a counselor.
