Parenting is no easy task! We all find ourselves challenged by our children at some point or another. I know for me, talking back hardly ever happened between me and my mom. My mom had "the look"! You know the look that old school Caribbean parents gave you that made your heart start beating faster and left a lump in your throat because you knew what they were capable of. You got a taste of it a while ago and told yourself next time I will just heed "the look" instead of the consequences (spankings). Unfortunately, I am here to tell you that "the look" doesn't work on this generation of children. Neither does spankings and sometimes even time outs! I've found that I talk to my kids a whole lot more than my mom used to talk to me and my brothers. I also found that a combination of time outs, turning off the television and taking away of toys/gadgets works most of the time for me. When my children talk back, my initial reaction is to get upset and angry. After all, who are they to talk back? They don't work or pay any bills in this house, right? These are the thoughts that go through my mind. Then I have to stop, breathe and remind myself that if I said all those things to a 6 year old and a 4 year old, they wouldn't at all understand where was coming from! So I use a combination of the following with my children depending on the scenario: setting limits ahead of time, turning a deaf ear, keeping my composure and recognizing and encouraging good behavior. What kinds of parenting methods are you using at home? Take a look at this article and if talking back happens to be one of the more stressful aspects of parenting, you might want to see if you can pick up some tips.
Talking Back: Why it Happens and What to do About it
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