For parents, it is frustrating and at the same time exhausting if their children don't listen to anything that they say. When you're already at your peak of getting mad at them and they don't seem to care at all, this is when it becomes excruciatingly frustrating that you would burst out in madness in no time.
However, what a lot of parents do not realize is when they get even madder when their children are ignoring them, the more impressed the child becomes that they can control you. They will have confidence in themselves that they can annoy or upset you. If you give in, you lose.
Ignoring what you say towards your children is unacceptable. Children should know that listening to their parents is important for them to learn what is necessary for life. It is important for parents as well to teach their children to listen when you speak. If parents don't do this, your requests will be ignored by your children and will become a habit they can bring when they grow old.
Whether it's just a simple "it's already near dinner time, time to come inside!" or if you're just asking them to pick up their toys and tidy up, here are tips that you can do in handling the situation when your children are ignoring you.
Let your child repeat your instructions or what you just told them
Make sure that your children were paying attention to your instructions or what you said by letting them repeat it themselves. If you asked your child to set the toys aside before heading to bed, ask them what you just said. This will put clarification to your children that you instructed them to do so and they should do it. It will also be clear to them that you are expecting them to follow.
Put consequences
It is never wrong to put a little spice to your instructions for your children to follow. If you give them an urgent instruction, try to wait for a couple of seconds. If they're still not showing any response, give them a warning. But if they still don't listen, give them a consequence for not listening. Your consequence can be taking away their gadgets for the rest of the day. Most parents do consequences in a threatening way but this will not help the situation and will even build tension between you and your child.
Point out what the problem is
If your child happens to be a bad listener not only at home but also at school or everywhere, you might need to dig deeper as to why they are like that. Check if your child has hearing problems, or if they're having problems in their attention span, or if your child has a more complex cognitive issue. Address the problem immediately and work from there.
Take the distractions away
When you're giving instructions to your children and they seem distracted to something, may it be a video game or a show playing on the TV, call him out and take away the distraction. However, it will be more effective if you take away the distractions first before giving them instructions.
Encourage your child to listen and avoid their little traps
Make sure your instructions are to address important issues and not the unnecessary ones. Avoid yelling, nagging, and begging because your child will continue to ignore you. Long lectures will also make your child stop listening.
Make plans to address the issue
Putting expectations and setting a line for your children is very important when you give out instructions. If you find your child having a hard time listening to instructions, then work with them with it. If they show positive results, give them small praises for a job well done.
Give only one warning
Children tend to abuse how lenient parents can be because there are parents who give more than just one warning. Warnings should only be given once for you to discipline your child. Make sure your child understands that warnings are already a bad sign and they should comply with what you are asking them to do.
