How To Parent A Frustrated Child
How to parent a frustrated child
Frustration is a part of life. How you deal with life's frustrations can determine your success in navigating future frustrations. This includes the million times you’re going to have to parent a frustrated child. Resolving conflicts and frustrations in a way that doesn't leave everyone drained and strained is possible. We can help kids train their brains to deal with frustration! This directly impacts whether they continue their current pattern of behaviors or learn to choose more productive positive ones.
If parents deal with frustration by having their own meltdown, they aren't solving the problem or teaching kids any meaningful way to change the outcome. What we are showing them is that we, too, have no control of our emotions, so why bother having control? We might as well just let them take us down the river that empties into despair and doubt.
It's important to teach children how to deal with feelings of frustration. Learning how to recognize and manage emotional responses to frustration is a confidence builder. It empowers kids to know they are in control. Responding to frustration in a way that helps you to grow in resilience and problem solving is a catalyst for leading a successful, independent life. It also increases mental well-being and higher learning ability.
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How To Parent A Frustrated Child
Episode #6: How to Parent a Frustrated Child
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In this Episode of The Rooted Family Podcast...
One thing I get a lot is, “I try breathing and my kid doesn't want to do breathing when they're angry. I get it! Because if you only pull that out of your bag of tricks when your kid is frustrated or angry, it's not gonna work. (2:36)
Part of it is realizing that not every frustration is the same. Even though you may be seeing that same frustrating behavior, it might not be stemming from the same spot. (7:24)
But when we're always in a rush or we're going somewhere, we end up doing it for them. And that is not helping brains grow at all. That's creating unnecessary dependency. (10:28)
I know you want to get that homework done and you might have a time crunch, you might need to get things done. But helping your kid emotionally regulate this at this point is a lot more important than if you were to take a five-minute break from homework. (20:16)
So just saying things like, I love you. Happy to talk to you when you can speak to me kindly. And then you can walk out of the room. (23:13)
Here's what I expect. Here's what we're going into. Here are the boundaries. Here is the chart. Where are you right now? If your kid is at an orange already, do not go in that store, that's going to end poorly for all of you. (30:17)
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This Episode's Question:
Can you think of a situation or place when your kid was giving clues before going into it that it was going to end in disaster?
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