No home-food today. Only Pizza. Pizza! Pizza! Order Now.
The moment the family sits down for dinner, this is what your child says.
I want the latest Barbie. I want it now.
As soon as you enter the shopping mall, this is what your child says.
My friend got a cell phone and she is 6 months younger than me. I want a phone too.
Sounds familiar?
All parents are faced with demands from their children.
Fact is, that you are the provider for your child and if she wants something, she is going to ask you for it. This becomes an issue if the demands are too frequent, or for things which are too expensive or too early in life for a child that age, or have come up due to the wrong reason, etc. As a parent, you will be able to weigh all these elements and decide whether to agree with your child or not. But while you do, keep a few things in mind to help you navigate your child’s demands-
- Don’t say “no” to everything as a natural reaction (just to get them off your back), and then say “yes” when your child persists. They will see this as a pattern and become demanding and persistent until they get their way.
- Make them understand not to compare themselves with others. Every family is different and has their own views on how things are done. So, if a friend has got a cellphone 6 months earlier then so be it. Her parents think it’s the right thing to do and you don’t. Explain your reason to your child so they know it’s not just a quirk but a thought-through decision. This problem of “wanting things that others have” can become larger than life problems even at a later stage as your child grows up and must be attended to in early childhood.
- Make some rules with young children on how they must ask for things. And teach acceptable behavior if they are refused. They will understand the importance of politeness and they will understand how to deal with denial- both important life lessons in later life.
Children’s demands provide opportunities to parents to teach them important life lessons. So, don’t despair- who said parenting was going to be easy.!
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