Yelling at your kid is never a good idea. But what are you supposed to do if they won’t listen to you? That’s the problem that lots of parents face on a daily basis. Kids can be very stubborn, and it feels like no matter what you say or do, they just aren’t listening. However, there are lots of things that you can try to get kids to listen without having to yell at them. Yelling isn’t their only option! Read on for some great tips and advice on how you can get kids to listen without yelling.
Establish ground rules
When you have ground rules in place, you can then use those rules to guide your child’s behavior. So, for example, if you have a rule about staying away from dangerous things in the house, then you can ask your child to stay away from that thing. If they refuse, you can then use the rule as a reason to guide their behavior. As a parent, you can create lots of different rules and boundaries for your child to follow. Then, you can use those rules to get your child to listen to you when they don’t respond to other types of discipline.
Use routines to your advantage
Kids have their own little daily routines, and many of them are quite predictable. For example, your child may always want to eat at the same time each day, take a nap at the same time each day, or go to bed at the same time each day. If you can find ways to use these routines to your advantage, then they are likely to help your child listen to you a lot more. For example, if your child always has a nap after lunch and then gets cranky and wants to go outside to play, you could put them outside for a few minutes so that they have a chance to burn off some of that energy. Then, once they have calmed down a bit, you can send them inside to take their nap. This is just one example of how you can use routines to get your child to listen to you.
Be firm but calm
When you are talking to your child, always try to be as firm as you can while also remaining calm. Your child will sense how you feel, so if you are yelling at them, they are going to get even more upset. If they know that you are firm but calm, they are much more likely to respond to your requests and demands. If you start to get frustrated, take a deep breath and try to calm down before you talk to your child again. If you can remain calm, your child is much more likely to respond to what you are trying to tell them.
Try negotiating with your child
If your child keeps refusing to do what you ask them to do, you could try negotiating with them. Negotiating is when you sit down with your child and try to come to an agreement about something. Many kids will respond to being asked to negotiate because it feels a lot less like being told what to do by their parent.
Don’t lose your temper no matter what happens
Sometimes, no matter how calm and firm you are, your child is just going to keep pushing your buttons. At times like this, you could try to lose your temper. After all, you are the adult, and you can certainly get your child to listen to you if you want to. However, you should try not to lose your temper no matter what happens. Yes, you may end up getting your child to listen to you, but at what cost? Your child will likely be even more upset if they know that you lost your temper and yelled at them. They are likely to be even more stubborn and resistant to your requests as a result. You don’t want your child to think that they can get what they want just by pushing your buttons and making you lose your temper.
Conclusion
Whether you have one or several children, it’s important to set some rules and boundaries for them. This will help them feel safe and secure, and it will help you as a parent feel less stressed out and overwhelmed. That said, kids have very short attention spans and can go from being calm and collected to being extremely wild and out of control in a matter of seconds. This is why it’s important to have some effective strategies and methods at your disposal that will help you to get them to listen to you when they don’t want to. With the tips and advice that we’ve shared with you in this article, you should have the knowledge and the tools that you need to get your kids to listen to you without having to yell at them.