Children are born with varying temperaments and often require different approaches to care and discipline. Intense, emotional children often are labeled as difficult and given medication to calm them down, according to family therapist Howard Glasser in an article for Educarer. There are other options for transforming children who have difficulty controlling their emotions and impulses. Your pediatrician can counsel you on whether your child needs medication as well.
Step 1
Be consistent with discipline at home. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children must be taught rules and appropriate behavior. They must reap the consequences of their actions immediately following an outburst because they do not easily comprehend long-term punishment or discussion.
Step 2
Maintain your own composure when dealing with your child's strong emotions. Model appropriate behavior and share with your child how you handle your own strong feelings. Let him know what you do when you get mad or sad and let him see you respond when you are upset. Work on your own responses if they are inappropriate and overly emotional.
Step 3
Reinforce positive behavior whenever you see it. Praise your child when he acts appropriately or is helpful. Tell him how much he is loved and respected just for who he is and that he doesn't have to earn your love or demand it.
Step 4
Prepare for possibly explosive situations that may set off your difficult youngster. For example, if you know your child acts out in large groups, find a more secluded place for him to play with one or two children at an event. Make arrangements to limit the time you spend at events that trigger his intense behavior. Teach him how to think ahead and plan for upcoming occasions.
Step 5
Help your child set up schedules and teach him how to build patterns into his day to manage his time, reports the American Academy of Family Physicians. Give him an alarm clock and a watch so he can tell when its time to move on to another activity. Empower a difficult child to take more responsibility for his life and his activities. Allow him to reap the consequences of his actions and make his own decisions about continuing with certain behaviors.
Tips and Warnings
- Talk to your pediatrician about your child's behavior if it becomes too unmanageable. He may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, a brain disorder characterized by difficulty paying attention and following instructions, restlessness, inability to wait, constant talking and other difficult behaviors.
- Don't take your child's difficult behavior personally or as a statement about your own parenting skills. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, personalities are innate. The most you can do is to try to shape and guide your difficult child through positive parenting. You can't change his temperament.
Things You'll Need
- Alarm clock
- Watch
