The lesson you are trying to teach your kid can wait. When the child misbehaves in some way, your intervention with rational explanations can wait until the emotions settle down.

Let’s break down the process how it usually happens and how I try to change it for myself.

The typical scenario involves mischief by the kid immediately followed by a quick reaction “Why did you do this?”. In most cases, the child gets upset by the harsh tone and begins expressing her emotions. Usually, it is either crying or feeling ashamed. As a parent, you don’t stop to wait for the emotions to settle down. You begin lecturing your child about what went wrong and the possible worst-case scenario (god forbid).

You probably noticed that when you are in an emotional state, let’s say angry, you rarely listen or think clearly. It’s no different with the child, so why try to teach her a lesson when they are not comprehending what you are saying?

The best-case scenario I try to follow is simple and effective. Don’t get me wrong, my success rate is around 50-60%, but I’m doing my best.

So, the kid does something inappropriate and you intervene immediately. Wait for her emotions to settle down and only when it’s obvious that he or she is calm, explain what is right and what is wrong.

This article is part of my writing challenge – Writing Seed. Join it and become more consistent with writing. It’s totally free.