5 Ways to Help Your Child WANT to Do What’s Right

Children are smart; they have an inner voice that tells them what is wrong or right. Then why does it seem so hard for them to make good choices? Use these tips to help your child want to do what’s right:

Stay connected

It’s easy to forget that our children can feel disconnected if our responsibilities have caused us to spend a lot of time apart. If they aren’t feeling like a priority, they won’t feel motivated to do what we ask. Try carving out a little time every day to spend with your children, away from distractions. If you do so, they are bound to feel motivated to act in a way that they know will please you.

Make sure your limits are reasonable and age-appropriate

It’s your job as a parent to set limits for your child. However, taking a hard-line approach to enforcing house rules is likely to be met by resistance. Try placing limits with empathy. This means letting your child know you’re willing to help him put in the hard work to follow the rules. He will likely conclude that putting aside what he wants at the moment is worth it to gain your approval.

Give support

Children need plenty of positive reinforcement to succeed in creating good habits. They need to be reminded, encouraged, and motivated to keep trying until the habit becomes natural. In this way, they come to have a good attitude toward acquiring new skills.

Expect your child to repair relationships when he’s done damage

When a child makes a mistake, why not encourage him to think of how to fix the situation instead of piling on the guilt? If you teach a child early on how to take the initiative in healing a broken relationship, he’ll learn how to forgive others and himself.

Emotion-Coach

When your child is in the grip of anger it will be harder for him to do the right thing. Before attempting to correct wrong behavior, take the time to help him process his emotions. When he feels calmer, you can move into teaching. This will help your child learn to regulate his emotions rather than yielding to the meltdown.