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3 Reasons Kids Misbehave & How You Can Respond With Grace and Love
Description
If you’ve got a child who seems to be misbehaving more than usual, it’s time to pause and reflect on what might be driving your misbehaving child. When your child seems to be acting out all of a sudden, you might have a Stressed, Anxious, or Discouraged (“SAD”) child.
These complex emotions are common to all of us. Consider the stressed (and likely hungry) disciples who wanted to give up and retreat because they only had 5 loaves and 2 fish to feed 5,000 people. Anxious Moses, who defiantly refused to lead the Israelites. Discouraged Peter, who told Jesus He was wrong about His imminent suffering and death.
Being “SAD” doesn’t excuse misbehavior. Whether you’re 3, 33, or 93, when any of us are stressed, anxious, or discouraged, our sinful nature is more likely to show its face. When parenting is stressful and discouraging, that’s when we are more likely to be harsh and controlling. And in those difficult situations, how often do we say a vulnerable, honest statement like, “I’m feeling stressed right now and need a little extra support today.”
Understanding what might be under the surface of your child’s behavior makes it easier to empathize and guide your child toward wiser choices. You can be a person of peace in the midst of chaos. You can understand your misbehaving child.
So, what’s going on in kids’ brains when they struggle with outbursts of whining and demanding behavior? Let’s unpack the issues we touched on.
Why do kids misbehave?
It helps to remember that kids generally don’t misbehave to make your life miserable! There are a variety of reasons a child might be acting out with strong emotions. Kids could be:
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