I saw a post in a group today about a Mom who has an illness. She has one similar to what I have. She is tired. She is warn out. She is stressed out. I reached out to her to let her know she is still a good Mom. She posted a picture of food on the floor, including a raw egg splattered on the floor.
I let her know that she was not alone. The kids act out. They do not clean up after themselves. It is a battle. Top it off with an illness. Especially one that makes you feel tired and want to crawl back into the covers.
I gave her my best advice. I wanted to let her know that it is ok to ask for help. She needed someone to help her clean and someone to help her watch the kids. We all need help. I encouraged her to ask for help.
Why did her kids misbehave? They all do. They are pushing boundaries. They like to experiment. We can experiment right back. When they misbehave it is to get our attention. It is a flag that says I need you to pay attention to me right now. They would rather get attention for their bad behavior than for their good behavior.
I forgot to mention to her to be a good finder. Our brains are biased towards negativity. We remember the negative things that happen to us. We don’t think of all the good things that happen in a day. Whew, I did not get hit by a train, I did not burn dinner, I have my health, and I have money in the bank. There are plenty of ways kids misbehave, however their is one thing that can help direct them. Lots of positive attention. Not just praise for silly things. Praise for something specific.
If you are specific and start to look for the good, you may find more of it. Who is misbehaving?