Younger Children

If you are parenting a young child, you know how challenging it can be to manage their wide range of behaviors. From noncompliance and refusal to listen to full blown temper tantrums, it can be hard to know how to respond to these types of behaviors effectively. While many of these behaviors are normal and age appropriate (ever heard of The Terrible Twos?), it's still difficult to know what to do in the moment. For help with what to do when your young child is acting out or having a meltdown, check out the articles below. Empowering Parents experts offer proven techniques and strategies to get you through these challenging younger years.

Managing the Meltdown

Attention-Seeking Behavior in Young Children: Do's and Don'ts for Parents

Defiant Young Children and Toddlers: 5 Things Not to Do

Disrespectful Child or Teen? 5 Things Not to Do as a Parent

By Megan Devine, LCPC

107 Comments

Eye–rolling, curses and insults, backtalk, name calling, ignored requests, snide comments: disrespect from your child or teen comes in many different forms. If you’re struggling with disrespectful behavior from your kids, you’re definitely not alone: this is one of the biggest topics of conversation between parents and our online parent coaches. The truth is, disrespectful behavior... Read more »

Hitting, Biting and Kicking: How to Stop Aggressive Behavior in Young Children

By Dr. Joan Simeo Munson

69 Comments

“I’m not allowed to bring Ben to play group anymore,” said Sarah, whose son is now five years old. “The last time we went, he bit another boy who was playing with a truck Ben wanted. And the time before that, he hit a little girl across the face. I try to tell him 'no'... Read more »

How to Respond to Disrespectful Children and Teens

By Kim Abraham, LMSW & Marney Studaker-Cordner, LMSW

58 Comments

A child’s disrespectful behavior can be a parent’s greatest “button-pusher.” A dad recently shared his frustration about his 14-year-old daughter’s disrespect: “I told her she couldn’t go to a party until her room was picked up – it’s an absolute mess – and she just exploded. She yelled, told me she hated me and slammed... Read more »

Managing the Meltdown

By James Lehman, MSW

56 Comments

Q: Why do kids have behavioral meltdowns and tantrums? What goes on in a child’s mind that makes him come unglued? James: Kids have meltdowns and temper tantrums for two reasons. The first reason is that they have never learned how to manage or have run out of the tools it takes to manage their feelings in... Read more »

Defiant Young Children and Toddlers: 5 Things Not to Do

By Dr. Joan Simeo Munson

50 Comments

“I won’t do it!” “You can’t make me!” “I’m not going!” Do you ever find yourself wondering, “When will this child stop defying me and start doing what I ask?” It can be incredibly frustrating, not to mention exhausting, dealing with a young child or toddler who finds it necessary to challenge your every request, act in a... Read more »

Anger, Rage and Explosive Outbursts: How to Respond to Your Child or Teen’s Anger

By Kim Abraham, LMSW & Marney Studaker-Cordner, LMSW

36 Comments

Everyone gets mad sometimes, children and adults alike. Anger is an emotion that can range from slightly irritated to moderately angry, all the way to full-blown rage. A child’s anger often makes us feel uncomfortable, so there can be a natural tendency to try and change the situation for your child, so the anger will... Read more »

Manipulative Child Behavior? My Kids Are “Too Smart for Their Own Good”

By Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC

31 Comments

“My kids are driving me crazy! They are so manipulative I can’t stand it!” Does this sound familiar? "My middle schooler blackmails me emotionally – he cries that I 'don’t care about him and love his brother more' when I ask him to stop playing his video games. It's true that he's a more difficult kid,... Read more »

Disrespectful Kids: How to Get Your Child or Teen to Behave with Respect

By Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC

28 Comments

We all know that kids can act in many disrespectful and rude ways to parents: they can slam doors, roll their eyes, and tell you they hate you, to name a few. It’s natural to get very worried and frustrated and wonder if these types of behaviors constitute out-and-out abuse, or just “rudeness and mild... Read more »

How to Stop Yelling at Your Kids: Use These 10 Tips

By Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC

24 Comments

Calm Parenting—most of us aspire to it, desire it, and even promise ourselves we’re going to do it—but it’s so difficult to sustain. We know how important it is to parent from our principles rather than from our fears, but despite our best intentions we lose it and end up yelling at those we love... Read more »

“I Caught My Child Lying.” How to Manage Sneaky Behavior in Kids

By Janet Lehman, MSW

24 Comments

Let’s face it—we are probably all guilty of some type of sneaking around when we were younger. We may have stolen cigarettes from our parents. Perhaps we lied about where we were going or who we were going to be with. We may have even thought we were justified at the time and came up... Read more »