9 Alternatives To Yelling At Your Children
Often, fatigue, lack of patience and anger can make us scream at our children. Sometimes it feels like it’s the only way to exercise some form of authority and get our children’s attention quickly. But no one likes when someone shouts at them, and shouting does not lead to a good result either. Now let’s look at some alternatives to yelling at your kids.
Your children will always learn better if you discuss with them in a constructive way without shouting. In the end, screaming only leads to stress and fear in a child and that is not what you are trying to achieve. Sometimes (it happens to all parents sometimes!) You can lose your temper and scream, even if you know you shouldn’t.
We will look at some alternatives to yelling at your children below.
Tips for not yelling at your children
First of all, keep in mind that screaming will not solve your situation. For example, if you think it’s good for discipline, these tips will not help you to any great extent.
Be aware that you are losing your temper and screaming without meaning to
Acknowledging that you sometimes raise your voice when you feel nervous, angry or tired is the first step towards stopping screaming at your children. Once you realize this, you can prevent yourself from raising your voice every time you find yourself in a difficult situation.
Control your emotions so as not to yell at your children
Screaming is an expression of anger and frustration. If you let these emotions take control of you, you will explode like a volcano and resort to screams.
What can you do to avoid it? You have to direct your anger towards something else. You can, for example, use relaxation techniques, mindfulness or meditation.
Work with your patience
Yes, you can work towards getting more patience. Patience is not something you are born with. Patience, like anything else, is something you can practice by controlling your emotions and being determined. If you do, you will have more patience with each passing day.
Do not take out your problems on your children
Sometimes you can come home from work and be tired or annoyed and take it out on someone else, even if you should not.
Children often get to receive a lot after a long working day. Try to relax before entering through the door of your home. For example, you can do some breathing exercises to calm you down.
Do not drop to your child’s level
Act according to your own age. Children do childish things and make mistakes, we all do. Your job is to help them correct these mistakes and guide them, not to do the same.
Use the turtle method, just like your child
This method is often used by children, but you can also use it. When you feel angry or about to scream, think of a turtle crawling into the shell. Then count to 10 until you calm down.
Look for effective and respectful alternatives
One method you can use that is very effective is the sandwich method. First, tell your children what they do well. Then you tell them what they are doing wrong or what changes you want to see and finally thank them for trying.
Apologize
Never forget that parents are role models for their children, so it is important to ask them for forgiveness when needed. In this way, you also teach them to apologize when they need to.
Never lose your respect for your children
If you scream and scold your children, you will lose respect for them if you do not actively work to keep it.
Why not shout at your children
- If you scream, your children will only obey out of fear. But in the long run, this will lose its effect. As they get older, they will look for authoritarian role models, which is what they have been brought up with.
- If you shout, you also teach children to solve things by shouting and they learn to do the same.
- If you think that shouting and raising your voices give you authority, you are wrong. In fact, the only thing that leads to it is children who will eventually distance themselves from their parents.
- Screaming damages children’s self-esteem and they grow up to become adults with many different fears. They can also become authoritarian and aggressive themselves.
How to avoid shouting at your children
As you can see, screaming does not lead to anything positive. In fact, it damages your children’s self-esteem, scares them and can even make them aggressive. That’s why it’s important not to yell at your children.
There are many alternatives to screaming that can help you raise happy, healthy children with methods that respect their self-esteem. Discipline must be based on respect, not on cry and fear.