Social Distancing? Maintain a Positive Attitude
It's hard to feel positive when our kids and teens are driving us crazy. Generally, we end up saying "stop it!", but children are much more to do what we ask if we give them positive instructions and thousands of congratulations for what they did right.
Speak the behavior you want to see
Use positive words when telling your child what to do, such as, "Get your clothes out of here, please?!" (instead of 'Don't make a mess!')
It's all in the way you talk
Yelling at your kids will just make you and them more stressed and upset. So, to get your children's attention, call them by their names. Do it with a calm tone of voice.
Praise your kids when they do something good
Try to praise your child or teenager for something they've done well. They may not reveal it, but you'll see them repeating that good deed again. This will also reaffirm that you care for and care for them.
Seriously
Can your child really do what you're asking? It's very difficult for a child to be quiet for a whole day, but maybe they can keep quiet for 15 minutes while you're on a call.
Connected Teens: Help is necessary!
For teenagers, being connected with friends is key. So help them connect through social media and other safe forms of distancing. That's something you can also do together!
This material was developed by Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) and is available in 46 languages and 32 languages in the translation process.
Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) is a set of free programs for parents who use the principles of social learning and parent management training to improve parent-child relationships. The programs equip parents with skills to generate them in a positive way and develop healthy relationships with their children.
