Last Updated on November 27, 2020
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As you raise your child, you must always remember that what you have in front of you is nothing but a human in development – they are learning, they are growing, and they are going through their formative years. During this period, they will gain habits, but in the same way they learn things, they can unlearn them as well. If you are a new parent, it’s normal that you don’t know how to deal with bad habits in children, and that doesn’t make you a bad parent – you are learning as well. As you learn how to build a strong bond with your children, you will develop a parenting style that works for both of you. But a few tips never hurt anyone, so we leave you with half a dozen approaches you can take when dealing with bad habits in children.
1. Understand your child’s behavior
If you want to establish a good parent-child relationship, you must try to understand what is going on with them, since it’s the best way to get to the root of the problem you are trying to fight. Because they are so innocent, they won’t be conscious of how their bad habits can be perceived. Imagine a child picking their nose, a habit that is on every parent’s list of nightmares because it is seen as nasty and unpolite – why do you think they do it? They don’t do it to annoy you, they feel bothered by the crust, and they want to make that feeling go away. Then, be patient – teaching good manners to a child takes time, but you need to remind them that picking their nose in public is not acceptable, and along the road, they will internalize it. This goes for other habits as well – if you start noticing a pattern, talk to your child, try to observe what happens before, after, and during the time they are engaging in such habits and understanding what is triggering them do to so. You can only fight the habits if you understand them first.
