This often occurs together with the ‘negative parent’ trap and involves parents ignoring their child when she is behaving well or playing nicely. Children, especially children with siblings, crave the attention of the adults in their lives.
If parents ignore their children’s good behavior, it’s less likely to occur again in the future.
What to try instead:
- Reward and reinforce positive behavior: Compliment your child like crazy when he does something you want him to continue to do. It seems simple, but it takes effort to look for the good behavior. For example, whenever you hear a ‘thank you’ or ‘please’, say something like “I have such a polite young man.”
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