Here's what I think: I think that the children we bring into this world and lovingly devote our time and attention and patience to, sometimes are possessed by little monsters. Maybe they are from a different planet, maybe not, but it happens all the same. It's not our child's fault, but it is inevitable on some days. Here's how to deal with all those little monsters that make their way into your home.
The After-School Monster:
This ones a biggie in our house. The The A-S Monster invades your children when they are tired and have had a mentally stimulating day. The A-S Monster has no attention span, and most times can't wait for you to finish a direction before they are off doing something completely unrelated. The A-S Monster also has a bit of a whiny streak. Any negative answer (as in, no, you can't eat that three layered chocolate cake by yourself before dinner), usually results in whining or questioning. The A-S Monster has the potential at any time to break into a full-out tantrum, with slamming doors and screaming.
There is no cure to the A-S Monster, and he can strike after any very busy and structured day, school-related or not. There are however, things you can do to decrease the potential for a tantrum. Give your child some space and time to relax, alone and with no pressure. The A-S Monster will soon get bored and take a nap, letting your child communicate more effectively for a brief time. Or you could keep your child busy, with lots of activities and public places until they are too tired to disagree with you. And give your child an early bedtime. A-S Monsters are adverse to sleep, and will run away to find something more fun to do.
The I Want More Monster:
This monster has an addictive personality. After something extremely delicious or fun, your child is susceptible to the IWM Monster. The IWM Monster possesses your child to demand more, more, more. He is prone to arguments, pleading, begging, whining, and bribery. The IWM Monster might even cause your child to offer you money for more cookies. You can recognize this monster if your child forgets the meaning of the word no. Instead of complying and waiting for the next round of treats, the IWM Monster will take over and start the negotiations.
You can prevent the IWM Monster sometimes with distraction. After a special treat or really fun party, tell your child about something completely different, but still exciting. This can be something cool planned for next week, a special visitor coming soon, or a random and funny piece of trivia. The IWM Monster will stay away from distracted children. This is one focused monster.
The I Didn't Do It Monster:
This monster is perhaps the hardest to deal with, because he can't grasp the concept of logic. The IDDI Monster will convince your child that what happened didn't actually happen. Your child is probably not lying to you, in the sense that the IDDI Monster has convinced him of another truth. This monster is incapable of taking the blame for anything. He is repetitive, stubborn, and may get upset easily.
This monster can be taken care of by trickery. If your child refuses to admit he broke the toy, despite the fact that he was the only one there, don't argue with him. This leads nowhere and won't teach him anything. Agree that maybe the train did break itself, and if the trains are having a bad day you don't want it to happen to another one. Now you can take all the trains away for a set period of time, and still get your point across. The IDDI Monster will not show up again if a parent agrees with him and then takes the source of the problem away.
There are several other types of monsters that can inhabit your child. There is the Tantrum Monster, whose favourite party trick is to get attention by acting demonic and loud. There is the Mistaken Identity Monster, who makes your child into someone you don't recognize. The Copycat Monster, who loves to copy what other kids say and do to test the limits at home. Perhaps the scariest is the Growth Spurt Monster, who would eat a full-sized dump truck if you put mayonnaise on it.
Good luck with your monsters, and remember the best way to deal with them is to follow your child's lead. Your child cannot help what the monster is doing, so don't blame him or her. Change the situation to make it easier, or develop a natural consequence to teach that monster a lesson, but don't take it out on your kid. They are only doing what they can, and with a monster inside of them, it's sometimes hard.
No comments:
Post a Comment