Child Behavior: 3 Powerful Steps To Control Kids Energy

Do you come home at night to a whirlwind of activity and have a hard time catching your breath before your kids descend upon you? Children have a lot of energy.

Well, there are three great and easy things to remember if you want to change the bombarding feeling after walking through the door.

First of all (and this is not one of the steps), remember your kids may have been cooped up in a classroom or daycare for hours prior to being at home. Kids have a lot more energy to expend than adults.

Kids want to share new experiences of the day with Mom and Dad. Their excitement of discovery and/or activities spill over into enthusiasm to tell you all about it. What they don’t understand, is why you, as a parent, don’t want to listen or seem uninterested. This often leads to pouting, insistence, slamming doors, crying, tugging on your sleeve, etc. – all ways to get your attention, even if it is negative.

Children can never relate to the fact you’ve been at work all day, perhaps on your feet all day. You have business or work issues to be resolved and need some space. Does this describe you?

Okay, try to put some order back into your life. It wasn’t this hard before the babies came.

1. Before you walk into the family home, take 5 minutes to reflect on your day. Sit in the car and take a deep breath. Not to prepare for the whirlwind you know is coming, but rather to expel the stress so you don’t take it into the family environment. Think of absolutely nothing during this 5 minute prelude. Keep a little digital count-down timer in your car or on the dashboard. Develop the habit of using it!

2. Greet each child with loving arms! If there is more than one child, take turns as to who gets the first hug. Likewise, set up a routine where each child gets his or her turn to explain the activities of their day. Sit down in the first room you enter, albeit living room, kitchen, family room, etc. Years ago, shared conversation used to be done at the dinner table, but dinner has changed for a lot of families whose hectic lifestyles have eliminated peaceful conversation time in the evening.

3. Put your business thoughts on hold for 1 hour to devote time to the family! This means no television, no computer, no cell phone. It’s just you and your kids in a bonding environment.

Doing the three steps above should calm your child’s energy and allow them to be more focused.

It doesn’t matter how old or young your children are, they need your undivided attention for at lease one short hour of the day. Everyone will benefit.