Emily Chan
Refusing to Eat Dinner
When your child turns up their nose at the meal you worked tirelessly to prepare, you might be tempted to just throw your hands up in resignation. But you can actually turn this into a teachable moment!
Explain why dinnertime is important and what this part of the day entails. It provides an opportunity for everyone to gather together and chat about their days.
You can also try getting your child more involved with mealtime. Give them a say on what to eat for dinner. They’ll feel like they have choices, and that goes a long way!
Leaving the House
Before heading out the door, you make sure all the essentials are packed–snacks, drinks, diapers, toys, etc. Then, you have to get yourself ready, of course. You’ve given your child one task: putting on their shoes.
And by the time you’ve reached the door, the shoes still aren’t on. This may be because your child doesn’t know what’s expected of them.
Let them know when they need to be ready to go and give them a heads-up of the amount of time they have left before leaving the house.
Misbehaving in Public
Let’s say your child tends to run off in the middle of a busy store. Instead of yelling and making threats, teach them why running off is unsafe.
Then, while they’re practicing good behavior in public, make sure you acknowledge it.
