#1 A growing child experiences numerous behavioral changes.
As a child grows, he or she experiences numerous behavioral changes that require parental guidance to steer them in the right direction. Parental interventions during a child’s growing years shape his or her mannerism, communication skills, and social etiquette.
When a child is young and lacks a sense of right and wrong, he or she will do whatever seems easiest. Kids tend to do and repeat the activities that they enjoy, whether it is running around and making noise for no reason, pulling and throwing objects at others, or even hitting or punching other kids for no reason. This presents a significant challenge for parents.
When a child does not listen, it is natural for parents to become frustrated, but the situation calls for parents to be gentle and kind to their children and teach them proper manners.
# 2 ​Listening skills in a child
A child should sit down and listen to what others say, focus on it, and then act on it in an ideal situation.
In reality, parents go to great lengths to get their children to listen to them.
A child’s listening skills develop after his or her proprioception and vestibular senses develop. This maturation typically occurs before the age of six. While proprioception is the ability of the body to sense movement, action, and location, the vestibular sense is what guides our movement and balance sense.
Socially, a child’s listening skills are influenced by the atmosphere of the family and the vibes of the family members with whom he or she grows up.
# 3 Why is it that a child does not listen?
There are several reasons for this, the majority of which revolve around the parental understanding. Parents are so preoccupied with becoming parents that they forget they are dealing with a child who has no understanding of world events.
The parenting style that is ingrained in the minds of new parents prevents them from being soft and kind to the child.
Old-school parenting emphasizes being strict and harsh with children, believing that this teaches the children the difference between right and wrong.
# 4 What should you do if your child refuses to listen?
When your child is throwing tantrums and not paying attention to you, you should do the following:
- Approach your child and get on their level: When your child refuses to listen to you and continues to misbehave, simply approach them and get down on their level. You can either squat or sit with the child and converse with them. Being of equal height facilitates interaction. The child will be able to communicate with you more easily in this way
- Make eye contact: When speaking to a child, make eye contact with him or her. It is extremely effective. Bringing the child to eye contact indicates that you have captured the child’s attention. It also instills confidence, respect, and faith. So, whatever you say, sitting down and making eye contact with your child will undoubtedly have an effect on them.
- Do not lose your temper. Do not lose your temper until you have centered the child’s attention on yourself. Maintain your cool and converse with the child. When you lose your temper, the child may become irritated or scared and move away from you.
- Use humor. Humor can make any situation better. If you notice your child is tense or on the verge of crying during the face-to-face interaction, lighten the mood with a joke.
- Teach the child about communication skills: When you are with the child, teach him or her about acceptable and unacceptable communication skills. Explain to the child the instances when it acted respectably and those when it did not.
- Keep it brief: Remember, you’re dealing with a toddler, not a college student! The attention span of a toddler is quite short. The shorter and more straightforward the interaction, the better the toddler understands it.
- Praise: When discussing bad manners with a toddler, provide examples of good manners and praise the child for any instances in which they have demonstrated good manners.In this way, the child gains a better understanding of the concepts of right and wrong.
- Use gestures: Certain manners, such as making silly faces, require the use of gestures. Use the specific bad gesture while discussing this with the child and tell the child not to do it again
- Seek the child’s opinion: Do not limit the interaction to one person. Allow your child to express himself. Pay attention to what the child says. If the child is silent, ask them questions. This will answer many questions, including whether your child understood what you said and whether its demeanor is a retaliation for some strange behavior it has witnessed or is subjected to within the family.
- Being childish: Children enjoy having fun. Try simple techniques like singing, playing, and whispering in your ears. This enjoyable method will actively accept your teachings.
