Understanding Child Misbehaviour in Public

Introduction

There are a number of reasons behind children misbehaving in public and for most parents; it is often a distressing situation. A consequence is that there is need for parents to ensure that they pinpoint the reasons behind their children’s behavior in public and take action to ensure that their children’s needs are met so that there is a reduction of such instances in public. In this paper, there is an assessment of the reasons behind child misbehavior in public and the potential solutions that can be adopted to bring it to an end.

Testing boundaries

One of the main reasons behind child misbehavior in public, such as throwing tantrums, it seeking to see where the boundaries are. This is an extremely important step in the developmental stage of a child because they seek to find out how far they can escape with unruly behavior before their parent puts their foot down (Zemp, Milek, Cummings, Cina & Bodenmann, 2016). In most cases, these incidents take place where despite parents setting rules, they do not follow up with them when the child pushes at these rules (Bombi, Di Norcia, Di Giunta, Pastorelli, & Lansford, 2015). A consequence is that it leads to a situation where it is difficult for them to have a level of control over the child to such an extent that they end up becoming frustrated when the child raises a tantrum. It is therefore essential for parents to ensure that they not only set rules of conduct for their children, but also follow up on them because it is the best means to ensure that the latter have an understanding of their parents’ expectations of them (Prinz, 2014).

Different expectations at home and school

Another situation that might bring about the misbehavior of children in public is different expectations that are required of them at home and at school. Children tend to spend most of their days at school and in this environment; there are a number of rules that they are required to follow (Pochtar & Vecchio, 2014). The same is the case when they are at home, and when these sets of rules are different, it creates a considerable amount of confusion for these children because they are not able to adjust effectively towards the rules that they have to endure in these two very different environments. A result is that it leads to a situation where the children throw tantrums in a bid to show the frustrations that they might have concerning the expectations that they are required to observe at all times. It is important for parents to make sure that they consult with their teachers in order to find out what the latter expect of their children at school as well as the rules that are set in this environment (Budd, Garbacz, & Carter, 2016). Parents can then tailor similar rules at home so that the children do not feel that they need to change much at home. A result is that they are unlikely to present cases of public misbehavior; leading to a level of peace of mind for their parents.

Illness, hunger, or boredom

A child could potentially misbehave in public because they are ill, hungry or bored. Under such circumstances, children often end up behaving in a manner that is not their norm and the parent has to be considerate when such a thing happens. When a child either feels ill or bored, it leads to a situation where they are not willing to cooperate with their parents, and instead seek to ensure that they get their parents’ attention through displaying behavior that they would normally not display (Hong, Tillman & Luby, 2015). A lack of understanding from parents could lead to a situation where they are not in hand to ensure that they cater to their children’s welfare. Therefore, it is important for parents to ensure that they establish a constant routine with their children where they create time for eating, playing, and interaction so that these children can have all of their basic needs met (Whittingham, 2015; Prinz, 2016). By undertaking these tasks, it will be possible for parents to ensure that they are able to advance their children’s interests so that when the latter feel ill or bored, rather than misbehaving, they can calmly inform their parents about their feelings.

Conclusion

Children tend to misbehave because they feel that all of their needs have not been met by their parents. In addition, there are instances where they want to find out their parents’ boundaries; meaning that it is essential for parents to ensure that they follow through with all the rules that they set. By handling their children with understanding and seeking to collaborate with other authority figures in their children’s lives, such as teachers, it becomes possible for these children to have a better level of behavioral development that reduces incidents of misbehavior in public.