Is your sweet
child getting in trouble? Do you worry about the kids he plays with? Inside
you'll find 5 parenting tips for helping kids stay out of trouble.
Childhood Wisdom and Big Trouble:
A 10-year-old boy named Joe and his 8-year-old brother, Danny, fought like cats
and dogs. The older boy used his muscles. The younger boy used words.
Just as Joe raised his fist, Danny noticed Joe's armband with the letters WWJD.
He pointed to it and yelled "What would Jesus do?" Joe slipped off the armband
and prepared for battle.
Whether you're worried about your children fighting each other or the kids
outside your home who are troublesome companions, you will need to act. I know
how worried you can be. Below is a mother's concern you might be experiencing
too.
My Newsletter Subscriber's Son Gets into Trouble:
A mother recently asked me to offer parenting tips on how to keep her son away
from a troublesome friend.
"My 6-year-old and his friend get into trouble at school," she wrote. "I've
tried so many different ways to separate the two boys. I've even asked my
daughter to let me know if my son is playing with the other boy. Nothing seems
to work."
Parenting Tips for Keeping Your Child Out of Trouble:
First Tip ~
Talk to the other boys parents. Find out if they are concerned about their son's
getting in trouble too. Make sure you do this politely. Avoid blaming the
parents or their boy. Put your heads together and come up with a helpful
solution.
Second Tip ~
Talk to the teacher. Ask the teacher for some helpful ideas. If you all agree
put the ideas into action.
Third Tip ~
Be careful about having your daughter report to you. This might put a rift
between your children. She could be disliked for being a tattletale.
Fourth Tip ~
Get the other boy's parents permission to talk to the two boys together. Create
a chart for each. At the top write a positive goal. Make it the same goal for
each. The goal needs to be the opposite of the kind of trouble they get into.
Give them a positive reward for each day they behave well and get a positive
report from the teacher.
Make sure that reward involves you. Consider rewarding them by reading a book of
their choice, doing a fun art project together, playing ball etc. As they behave
better reward them every 3-5 days until they don't need the chart anymore.
Fifth Tip ~
If nothing else works, and there are 2 first grade classrooms, ask the principal
to put your son in a different class.
Special thanks to the mother who requested this article. Many parents face this
same problem. I hope your request helps other parents too.
Parenting Tips Conclusion:
Raising children isn't easy. When your child's playmate leads him into trouble,
it makes parenting more difficult. Sometimes you'll have to stick your neck out
and ask for help from teachers, clergy, and other parents. When you respectfully
ask for help, you're likely to find the needed solution. And one more thing, you
will be taking action.
