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Understanding the fact that all children misbehave is not hard to do. Trying to figure out why is a whole different story. Sometimes you may feel that you need a secret decoder ring to figure it all out. Some parents give up all together, feeling that their efforts in this area are futile. Please don’t give up! Discovering the underlying motivation of your child’s misbehavior is one of the most helpful parenting tools in your toolbox.
In the next 4 articles, we will explore the four main reasons children misbehave (attention, power and control, revenge, display of inadequacy), what that behavior looks like and feels like in “real life,” the useful information it can provide and what you can do about it. Social psychologist, Rudolf Dreikurs was the first to suggest this typology for understanding children’s misbehavior. Don Dinkmeyer and Gary McKay continued his work and included it in their book entitled, The Parent’s Handbook (STEP: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting). This parenting handbook was first published in the mid 1970′s and has been in print ever since. It contains helpful information for parents on parenting styles, child development, and discipline. It uses plain language with lots of illustrative examples that help equip parents to be the best they can be.
