Is your child an ‘Attention Seeker’?

Why do you think your child is looking for your attention???

Does your child behaves this way with all… or is just you????

We often hear from parents about frets that a child acts in a way that is likely to attract focus on him/her from others in the vicinity. This behavior is termed as “Attention Seeking behavior”. The child may do anything to grab attention, there could be some behavior in children like..

• To become louder
• Respond negatively when queried
• Ask unnecessary questions
• Want to wear unusual clothing
• Become naughty
• Run around all the time
• Breaking things
• To break an ongoing conversation by interrupting continuously

Have we ever tried to get to the root cause of such behavior? Below are the reasons why a children might ask for attention. And the ways parents can Handle it with ease.

Busy parents:

It often happens that the busy parents struggle with their work life balance. Their daily schedule is fully tied up. Even when they are at home after work, they end up spending time in their own daily chores. In such situations, children try to seek attention by misbehaving, being naughty, unnecessary quarreling with siblings, purposely telling  bad things done during their day time, etc. due to this, parents in turn end up having a discussion with the children.

 

Ways to handle it:

They can handle this by involving children in their daily chores like peeling veggies, tidying up the house, helping in arranging plates for dinner, having a sleep talk, etc. These techniques would help in inculcating the feeling of love, and, at the same time, building sense of responsibility towards the house. The parents can spend quality time with their children without missing on their daily routine chores.

 

A younger sibling is born:

This situation affects the older sibling. When a younger sibling is born, the mother spends most of the time with the baby, due to which the older one starts feeling envy and lonely. He/she tries to grab attention by crying, shouting, troubling the baby, sometimes not coming closer to the parent even if asked to. It is entirely, a new phase of life for the older one, who was the center of attraction for the parents and suddenly he/she sees it moving towards the younger sibling.

 

Ways to handle it:

Parents who have a younger sibling can handle the situation by involving the older sibling to help the mother in tasks related to baby like playing with him, bathing him, getting his diapers, etc. This will help the older sibling build a stronger bond with the baby and at the same time, he/she will not feel lonely and unattended.

 

A single child with no siblings:

A child who has no siblings gets all the attention from the parents and generally has all the wishes and demands fulfilled right away. But the situation is totally different when the child is at school or in a social gathering. Even when outside, the child expects the same level of treatment that he gets at home. While the parents are in a discussion with outsiders or in a social place, the child demands attention by crying, running around, lying down suddenly, etc.

 

Ways to handle it:

Parents who have a single child should help him/her to socialize more. They can do so by sending the child to play with neighbor’s children, encourage them to play with friends and cousins, enroll him to preschool. One important factor is to allow the child to play on his own at home by engaging him into some activity.

Though this behavior is completely normal for a pre-schooler, it is can be a little frustrating for the parents. Well, now that we know how to handle this, lets bond more with our children and try to understand their tiny little minds.

 

You may also read:

Listen to understand, not to react!

Tags: #angermanagement#behaviour#childhabits#earlychildhood#learning#millennialchildren

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