Why Children Misbehave

Remember that children are not small adults. All children misbehave at times. Some reasons for misbehavior are:

1. They don’t know the rules. Don’t assume that children know the rules just because you do.
   
2. They are tired, hungry or sick. Young children can’t express feelings verbally, so they act out instead.
   
3. They are angry when they don’t get what they want. Remember that when you give in when your child “pushes your buttons”, you teach your child that anger and acting out gets them what they want.
   
4. They are afraid of something. For example, your child refuses to go to bed. Maybe he is afraid of the dark.
   
5. They want to get your attention. Any kind of attention is better than none. Children know that when you are yelling at them, 100% of your attention is focused on them.