If You Have Trouble Understanding Your Child – Learn To Think Like Them

Photo by Joel Overbeck on Unsplash

 

Maybe you’ve never been able to quite grasp why your child does things a certain way.

Or perhaps they always seem to have a meltdown in certain situations, or refuse to follow your instructions.

If you’re having trouble understanding the behavior of your child, the best thing you can do is put aside how you view the situation, and learn to think how they do.

In doing so, you’ll learn to see things from their perspective and get to the root of what is really happening.

 

Get To The Bottom Of Their Fear

If your child is terrified of going to sleep at night – try and figure out why.

Chances are it is more than just “being scared of the dark.”

Perhaps your child is afraid someone could hurt them at night.

Or maybe they are fearful being separated from mom and dad as they sleep and face separation anxiety.

It may be difficult, but think back to things that used to frighten you as a child or even things that scare you now.

Identifying the root of fear is the first step.

You can try tips to help your child – like sending her to bed with a nightlight, saying protective prayers with her before she sleeps, or even allowing her to keep her door cracked at night – reminding her you are just down the hall.

But if you become frustrated and angry at your child’s refusal to sleep at night it only leads to further distress.

 

Distress From Unfamiliar Situations

Think to your own life, how uncomfortable it can be to walk into a new room where you don’t know anyone or start a new job without knowing the procedures.

Now multiply that feeling times a million as to how a child feels when they are faced with uncertainty.

If you take your young child out to eat, they may not be able to understand why the food takes a long time to cook and might become anxious sitting for a lengthy time in a noisy restaurant – especially when they are hungry!

And if your child has a sensory processing disorder, all of the sights, sounds, and smells can truly be overwhelming to take in.

So what might seem as a “simple night out” to you at a restaurant could be a stressful time for your little one.

By understanding what is causing them to act out, you can help resolve this issue – like taking your child to a place where the wait isn’t long, and bringing activities to keep them entertained while they wait for their food.

If things get bad – you might have to ask for your food to go – and be okay with accepting the fact your plans have changed.

You might learn eating out in a big place is too much, and carry-out works best for your family.

 

A New Path Forward

If you can learn to see things through the eyes of your child, it can help you better understand their world.

Having this compassion and empathy can help you know what to say to ease their discomfort.

Children are like sponges, and they soak up the environment around them and often internalize it.

If they sense discomfort in the home, they might be scared things are worse than they actually are.

So take the time to see things as your child does – and chances are you’ll finally be able to close the gap and you might even learn a few things from them!

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