Sibling rivalry
Sibling relationships serve an important function in the emotional and social development of children. Siblings actively shape one another’s lives and prepare each other for later experiences both within and beyond the family. Children learn many crucial lessons about sharing, competition, and compromise through their interactions with their siblings.
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Managing the angry child
What can an adult do when a child is really angry?
- Don’t retaliate (joining in the child’s anger will wind her up even more. It will also teach her poor ways of resolving conflict.)
- Model the behaviour you want a child to learn. If you hit, she learns to hit. If you get out of control, she may learn to fear her own anger. Subsequently she will also learn to fear other people who hold power in her life-teachers, employers, partners.
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Improving children’s social skills
SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING
- Teach him what to say, how to say it, when to say certain words in appropriate situations
- Teach him to stop, look, listen and weigh alternatives in puzzling situations
- Train him to observe non-verbal cues (if he doesn’t get it, quietly and patiently explain the idea)
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Disruptive behaviour
It’s 8.45 am on a school day. Everyone is ready to leave except Jason (8 years old). He has spent the morning in his pyjamas watching TV, playing with the dog, and fighting with his sister. Repeated requests from his mother to get ready have not produced any progress. Finally, she yells at him, and threatens him with no TV for a week.
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Children who are a bit different
It’s 5 pm, and 9-year old James is arguing with his mother about doing homework. He says it’s too hard and she says that it’s not. After all, his teachers say that he’s very intelligent, so how can it be too hard? James ends up in tears after a shouting match that leaves everyone in the house unsettled.
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Depression: Children
It’s 3.30 pm and ten-year old Aaron’s mum is waiting for him at the school gate. She sees him coming out – dragging his feet and looking miserable. One of his friends, Jason, asks if he wants to come and play – Aaron mumbles, "No". He gets into the car and snaps at his mum when she asks how his day was. They drive home in silence as he stares out of the window.
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Child with chronic illness
Six-week old Meg has just been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, Johnny (who is eight) has a heart condition, and ten-year-old David has undergone repeated surgery to correct the effects of neurofibromatosis on his spine.
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Anxiety: Children
INTRODUCTION TO ANXIETY
The majority of children and adolescents who come to our service are anxious. Some have specific fears such as fear of dogs or the wind or heights. Some are anxious about making friends or doing well enough at school.
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Parenting: 16 lessons about behaviour management
1. WHY DO CHILDREN MISBEHAVE?
Child behaviour problems are unlikely to have only one cause. Many things can affect children’s behaviour. At least four areas are important to think about:
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