Problem Behaviour
Shopping Centre Tantrums!
Help! “How do I take my child to the shops, knowing at any time he /she could throw a tantrum at any minute?”
If you have to take him/her then be ‘prepared’ i.e. pick your time of day, when the supermarket is at its quietest that fits in with your schedule. If you and the children have been up since 6.00am and you’re not involved in a school run, then is there anything that says that you shouldn’t be in the supermarket by 7.30am? Sounds daft but think about it! There is an advantage to 24 hour shopping!
Bedtime problems
Mark and Kim came to see me in my office at ‘Stamp Out’. They were experiencing problems with their two boys, aged 6 and 4 years at bedtime.
They came up with all the excuses in the world as to why they didn’t need to go to bed; from not being tired to needing an extra hug!
Does this sound like something you have heard in your house?
Limiting T.V. or Computer time
Kylie came to see me in the offices of ‘Stamp out’, she was having a few problems with her two eldest children aged 3 and 6. Kylie also had a one year old and was feeling more and more that she was fighting a loosing battle at home.
We talked for a while and looked at areas that she was finding most difficult. Her eldest two children were very “into watching the T.V or playing computer games”.
Every time she wanted them to do something or go somewhere she faced a chorus of “oh , I am just Watching the TV Mummy”, or she would ask them to get ready for bed only to return 10 mins later to find they hadn’t moved!
Does this sound familiar?
ADHD behaviour
At my office in Erina, Tina arrived looking exhausted and trailing her three boys behind her. She was at her wits end with her energetic children.
She said all the boys were a handful but Callum was the worst. ‘School says he has ADHD, but I don’t know how to help him. What can I do? Will he ever be normal? Will he get a job after school?’.
Tina is not alone. It is a story I hear a lot and really want to help people like her. I have been one of those Mums!
Parenting the child always on the go or displaying ADHD type behaviour.
Sibling Rivalry
My children are always fighting, what can I do?
Gemma: ‘He started it, he hit me’ 
Ben: ‘Well I hate you, you stink!’
Mum: ‘Ben, don’t talk to your sister like that!’
Ben: ‘You always take her side, it’s not fair’
Bickering, fighting and arguing between brothers and sisters are a normal part of growing up.
However, as a parent one often feels worried about this and thinks that it is a sign that their children dislike each other, or have an unhappy relationship.
Mealtime Madness!
Sarah came to see me at ‘Stamp Out’ as she was having a number of problems with her two children over their mealtime behaviour.
‘They eat the food my Mum cooks them’ she complained ‘but I can give the same meal the next night they just won’t eat it’. They say they are not hungry and start arguing with, throwing bits of food at each other and then I just loose it and send them to bed, what’s going on?’
Meal times can be really stressful and it is so hard to please everyone, especially as children’s taste buds seem to change from day to day!
There are many reasons why children are difficult at meal times.
