When children come home turns into jungle. This is one wide spread misconception and for the ones who will smile ironically thinking that it can’t be different, here are some tips and rules that will help turning your home into heaven. Just follow the orders.
- No exceptions. It may sound rough but if you don’t want to turn all house rules in exceptions you’ll have to make an effort. Once you turn extra piece of cake or candy into some of children’s right, it’s harder to make it give it up. Also it has stronger effect over child’s psychology than instant simple: “No!” Better think in long term consequences before allowing it.
- Not too many choices. When the child is smaller than teen, it’s harder to make choice. Better limit it to either or and control the situation. Too many options create stress. No one says you should choose for your child but limiting it in some ways will help it build discipline.
- Democracy isn’t home policy. There aredecisions and rules that only parents can implement and take. Don’t spend hours explaining your child why it can’t eat only hamburgers or why you can’t change maids every week. Explaining lets the child with the impression that it can negotiate with you. If you let it happen, you will need to argue and explain yourself every time you ask it to throw out the garbage.
- Divide and conquer but backwards. Stay united as authority if you need to keep the home peaceful. Don’t sneak behind your partner’s back to allow what he or she has forbidden. Even if it happens once children will learn to use “You are better” technique to manipulate you in their favor. This happens even if you and they don’t realize it.
- Remove vs. deny. If you have small kids it’s better to keep undesired items out of sight. Candies, chocolate bars, junk food, fragile things – better keep them away that repeating again and again that it shouldn’t be eaten/ touched/ played with. Some things will be hard for abandoning, but use the end of rental cleaning to throw them away. This way you will have a completely new beginning.
