"Childhood Behavior Issues-That Stormy Time"
Take a look at the picture above and ask yourself, what do you see? This was drawn by a child who was experiencing emotional pain on every conceivable level in his eight years of life. It did not matter which way he turned, north, south, east or west, his pain was everywhere. Many children today feel like this, enveloped with pain, encapsulated. Children today are not the children of yesterday, life is moving much to fast, there is too much pressure to learn, conform, and grow up. We essentially have children trying painfully to be little adults, to conform and adapt to their varying circumstances.
Many kids are too busy to have time to play creatively or relax after school. Kids who complain about their activities or who refuse to do them might be over scheduled. Talk with your kids about how they feel about extracurricular activities. If they complain, discuss the pros and cons of stopping one activity. If stopping isn't an option, explore ways to help manage your child's time and responsibilities to lessen the anxiety.
Cutting is a serious issue that affects many teens. Even if you haven't heard about cutting, chances are good that your teen has and might even know someone who does it. Like other risky behaviors, cutting can be dangerous and habit-forming. In most cases, it is also a sign of deeper emotional distress. In some cases, peers can influence teens to experiment with cutting.
To adults, childhood can seem like a carefree time. But kids still experience stress. Things like school and social life can sometimes create pressures that can feel very overwhelming for kids. As a parent, you can't protect your kids from stress — but you can help them develop healthy ways to cope with stress and solve everyday problems.
Kids deal with stress in both healthy and unhealthy ways. And while they may not initiate a conversation about what's bothering them, they do want their parents to reach out and help them cope with their troubles.
Children go through stages of development just as adults go through stages when they are developing, sometimes when something happens in the child's life, development can become stuck or may develop in a negative way. These developmental stages do not last for long, therefore it is imperative to explore and process what problem that child may be having and to help them fix that problem. They need to pass from one developmental stage to the next, free of any negative emotions or feelings to be successful at maturing in their life. If you see any of the warning signs below with your child do not hesitate to find a qualified counselor or therapist to help them deal with their issues.
- Your child becomes excessively clingy.
- High level of crying or becoming upset.
- Your child has given up communicating his or her feelings.
- Noticing a considerable change in behavior than what is typical.
- Disobedience and/or defiance.
Even though most children will display some level of the above warning signs, any time you feel that it is too excessive, it will never hurt to contact a professional to help both you and your child through whatever problem the family may be experiencing.
"If there is anything that we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is not something that could better be changed in ourselves".