Keeping up with your child’s bad mood
Do you ask yourself how to cope with your child’s bad mood? Children’s emotions are frequently difficult to foresee and even more difficult to follow-up. They change their moods from moment to moment, being hyper-happy a minute after seeming totally annoyed. But what can you do when your little angel sticks to the negative side of the emotional spectrum? How do you cope with your child’s bad moods?
Is there anything you can do to fix it? Is there a reason to get really worried? The answers, of course, vary in different children. However, there are some general rules you can follow. So, here are some of them.
Empathize.
I guess it is difficult for us as parents to accept that our children cannot be satisfied or happy 24/7 – some of us may even blame ourselves for that. And sometimes this feeling that we are “failing” as parents push us into counter-productive actions.
“Stop crying!” is, for instance, one of the harshest statements you can say to your kids, and it will probably make them cry even louder.
Such statements show that we don’t acknowledge our children’s feelings – and acknowledging them is the first step towards addressing them properly.
So, don’t freak out. Arm yourself with patience and understanding if you want to achieve the results.
Understand the triggers.
Your child’s bad moods are most often conditioned by something that’s bothering them. Maybe they are experiencing problems in school or kindergarten. Maybe they are targeted by a playground bully. Or maybe they developed a fear. Maybe there is something around the house that’s making them nervous.
Try detecting what exactly bothers them. That’s when you will be able to work more intensively on a proper solution.
Try the regular mood-boosters.
Remember some of the activities your children usually love to do. Be it DIY arts & crafts, sports, hanging at the mall, playing in the backyard or visiting a ZOO, a single positive action could kill the bad mood switch.
On the other hand, if your child’s bad mood originates from a deeper problem, maybe these actions won’t be able to help too much. Anyway, it’s still worth trying!
See if your child’s schedule could be a bit simpler.
Sometimes we get confused and believe that our children are moody when actually they are too tired. This is common in school children, especially when they are involved in too many extra-curricular activities. In such cases, maybe they should quit some of these activities, at least temporarily.
It’s not just the activities that make them tired – it’s also the intense sense of responsibilities and the expectations to be great in all these activities.
Limit tech use and boost activities in nature.
Too much time on a computer or tablet could be emotionally harmful to your kid. The feeling of detachment which could emerge from hours spent online. Isolation could be the core culprit of your child’s bad mood.
On the other hand, the lack of open-air activities can also impact the child’s mood.
Try including regular activities in a natural environment a regular part of your child’s routine. Even a simple walk in a park, cycling by the lake or having a picnic in the woods nearby will do the trick.
Was it something you said?
To make one thing clear – you should not blame yourself for your child’s bad moods but maybe you should investigate is the problem causing it something you said. Maybe you and your partner were having a minor argument in front of the kids or maybe your kid overheard something about the tight finances.
These things can really affect children’s mood, especially as they are not capable of fully understanding them. Try keeping such discussions private. Talk to your children and let them know your adult problems won’t affect them in any way if the damage has already happened
See an expert.
It’s not always something that happened that causes bad moods in children. Sometimes it is really a psychological issue that needs to be addressed by a therapist.
If the bad mood lasts for weeks and months, if your child expresses unusual behaviors in their sleeping, eating and behavioral patterns, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment.
And don’t worry, such problems are highly treatable if you start dealing with them on time.
What are your tricks to cope with your child’s bad mood? If you have any thoughts and tips to share with us, go ahead, the comment space is yours!
Make sure to read more of our posts on ChildrenPositive.
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