If you encounter moody children throwing tantrums and brooding in the corner, know that this is a common occurrence in children. Despite the common perception that only adults tend to have mood swings, child development experts suggest that being moodier is prevalent among children. Children, particularly young ones, are prone to becoming moody and gloomy; however, some children tend to have more mood swings than others. This behavior in children may be attributed to their inability to express intense emotions, such as disappointment and dissatisfaction. While dealing with a moody child might be unpleasant, you have no choice but to manage your child (1). In most situations, you can resolve the issues related to your child’s mood swings at home. However, in extreme cases, when you see that being moodier and grumpy is becoming a part of your child’s personality, you may certainly bring it up with your doctor. This post discusses some of the factors that can cause mood swings in children and how to deal with them.
Parenting Moody Children
Here are discussed some basic principles that you need to keep in mind when it comes to parenting your moody child. These pointers will help you tackle the situation better. Take a look (2) (3).
1. Nurture Your Child:
How you bring up your child makes a lot of difference. No matter how busy you are, it is important to spend quality time with your child. Children feel secured with parental attention. Ideally, both the parents should spend quality time with him.
2. Allow Them To Express Himself:
Your home should be the place where your child can express himself without any fear. Sometimes children get moody, as they do not know what to do. Children adopt passive behavior to showcase their displeasure.
3. Encourage Positive Behavior:
It is important that both of you, mother and father, sit together to come up with methods of expression for your child. You can bring to his attention that instead of sulking, they can communicate the problem with their parents. Let them know clearly that you or your partner will not respond to their negative behavior.
4. Stay Calm:
Make sure you do not overreact when your child is being moody. This will only give them more power to show bad behavior. The best thing you can do is let them express their dissatisfaction and validate, rather than ignoring them. Validation helps you and them, and you can suggest some solutions.
5. Keep Stress Level Low At Home:
As a parent, you should keep stress at a minimum at home. Children get affected the most in stressful situations. When they are affected due to a stressful time at home, children become moody and anxious. Anger stresses out children very easily. Make sure you avoid anger even when you dealing with your moody child.
6. Ensure Proper Nutrition:
You need to ensure your child is in proper health. It is better if you plan a balanced meal for them that includes all nutrients, instead of relying on supplements.
7. Schedule Time To Complain:
Allot a special time just for complaining. Tell your young one that during this time, he can talk about things that bother him. If the time is over, ask him to continue with his complaint list the next day. When there is a complaining slot, your son will have to think of the things they want to complain about. The method, eventually, will reduce their habit of complaining and whining.
