Making mistakes during life is entirely normal and very common, and reacting to children’s errors and misbehavior is one of the most important ways to give them feedback. In this article, we talk about how to respond to a child’s mistakes. Stay with us.
Mistakes are necessary for life.
One of our duties towards our children is to create an environment where they are not afraid to make mistakes. Also, we parents are responsible for raising our children so they face fewer difficulties on the way to success. The problem is that in some situations, these two essential responsibilities conflict.
Imagine a situation where your child has made a mistake, and you want to correct his error. What are you doing? Do you blame him or try to point out that he did something wrong calmly? Your reaction and how you deal with your child when he makes a mistake affect his behavior and thinking.
We have reached success and happiness most of the time after many failures and mistakes. The path is determined right after these mistakes. If we were to make no mistakes, why was the eraser made? The eraser was made to make us understand that making mistakes is normal and that we can go back and correct our errors after each misstep.
When our child makes a mistake, we must follow the same process and react appropriately. A child’s mistakes should not make us feel bad for him. We must show our child that despite his mistakes, we love him and do not judge him by his mistakes. Mistakes are not a good or bad reflection of the child or parent. We must provide conditions for children not to be afraid to make mistakes and fail.
Are we afraid of our child’s misbehavior?
A child’s behavior is widely believed to reflect his parents’ upbringing. Kathryn Reynolds-Lewis, the author of Good News About Bad Behavior, says, “The thought that children’s behavior is a reflection of how parents are raised scares parents.”
We fear that the child’s reluctance to clean his room is a sign that we are bad parents and have neglected to teach discipline to our children. Or when our 8-year-old throws something, we think we didn’t do an excellent job of teaching our child how to handle anger.
If we do not correct these mistakes quickly, our child will never learn to do his tasks correctly. This fear makes us react wrongly and make the situation worse than before. In this situation, we should put aside this thinking and stop blaming ourselves or our children.
How to react to the child’s mistakes?
1. See if the child’s mistake is accidental or intentional
How angry are you when your child stains his cute shirt with food or drops his dinner plate on the kitchen floor? It’s terrible behavior, but have you ever thought that maybe these misbehaviors aren’t intentional?
Suppose your child has spread all the bread on the table or counter; what do you think was the reason for this? Probably the reason was that he was trying to be independent and prepare his breakfast.
We all make mistakes many times throughout the day, even the same mistakes our children make. How often have you gotten angry at your child for spilling a glass of water on the floor when you have made the same mistake many times?
Remembering that these behaviors and mistakes are not intentional will help you calm down, not get angry after seeing your child’s errors, and react appropriately.
2. Praise your child’s honesty
When your child admits his mistake, praise his honesty. We know it is difficult to compliment your child in this situation, and you want to punish him somehow, but his honesty and admitting his mistake are admirable.
By admiring his honesty, you’ll let him know he can tell you anything, even when he’s made a mistake or needs help. He should be able to tell you the good and bad things about his day. Otherwise, he may fear failure, and his self-confidence may suffer. Praise your child for these things:
- He has confessed his mistake to you;
- He has accepted responsibility for his error;
- looking for a solution to compensate for the error;
- He apologizes for his mistake.
The child should know that being honest with his parents is more important than hiding a mistake and getting into more problems.
3. Accept that a child’s mistakes are a way to learn
Please don’t embarrass your child when he makes a mistake. Your behavior will make him learn how to behave in similar situations. Mistakes are an inevitable part of life that we can make the most of.
Instead of blaming your child, help him understand the reason for his mistake and learn from his mistakes. Making a mistake causes:
- Learn coping mechanisms to control frustration, anxiety, and guilt.
- Come flexible.
- Develop a growth mindset and emotional skills to decide how to improve the situation.
4. Avoid common mistakes
Although mistakes are inevitable, you can prevent many of them from happening. When children play violent games, separate them and put more suitable activities before them or keep expensive and decorative items away from the child.
5. Guide children with empathy
Thinking that a child’s resilience increases with failure is a mistake. The truth is that facing defeat successfully increases his resilience. Empathy is the right way to convey this belief to the child. With empathy, we acknowledge his mistake and help our child behave more appropriately.
Empathizing with the child means understanding his feelings when he makes a mistake. For example, if a child throws a toy or other device out of excitement, instead of getting angry and fighting with him, let’s understand his feelings while doing this. After accepting his sense, explain to him in an appropriate tone the reason why his behavior is wrong.
By doing this, you recognize and acknowledge the child’s feelings and do not try to hide his behavior but try to see the situation from his point of view. Finally, you allow the child to learn the correct behavior and react correctly in similar situations.
Correcting the child’s behavior alone is not enough; We have to teach him how to understand his mistake, try to fix it, and find an alternative and correct behavior.
last word
Use your child’s mistakes as tools to teach him skills. Don’t blame him; show him that making mistakes is normal by expressing unconditional love. At the same time, teach him to learn from his mistakes and behave correctly in similar situations.
you say
How do you deal with the child’s mistakes? Have a suggestion to add to the solutions in this article? Please share your experiences and valuable opinions with us and our dear users.
Warning! This article is only for educational purposes; to use it, it is necessary to consult a doctor or specialist.
