Parenting An Impulsive Child – Guidelines For Parents Who Want A Quieter Life

It is hard to imagine any parent having a quiet life when parenting an impulsive child! Apart from the terror of watching a child jump across a busy road, or hit a schoolmate violently, it can never ever be really calm. Here are some ideas and pointers about what to do or not to do, which may help.

ADHD drugs may help in treating impulsive behaviors in the short term and help the child to keep it all under control. But if the child, or more importantly, his parents are not prepared to invest time in behavior modification, then the pills may not be any good at all. The child will become an impulsive teenager and start driving, drinking and having premature sex. There are high incidences of traffic accidents among this category. Not to mention how the impulsive behavior will negatively impact on his social and professional life as he moves into adulthood.

Any behavior modification program, cognitive behavior program or even simple parenting skills will have its main aim as teaching an impulsive child to stop and think. If that can be achieved, then you are well on the way to success in parenting an impulsive child.

I have always liked the analogy of the impulsive child wearing a blindfold with just one hole in it. That hole represents his very restricted view of any situation he finds himself in. The limited view is because he has fewer brain chemicals at his disposal,. The choice of actions are limited and there is no time for thinking anything through which might lead to a measured response. Result? The impulsive child jumps into the swimming pool in winter or beats up his sibling.

Here are four guidelines which will help you to in parenting an impulsive child. These are ways you can cope while trying to implement a behavior modification progam which will need work and patience. But it will pay off in treating impulsive behaviours.

1. Be aware of the triggers that set off impulsivity. These can range from excitement, irritation and anger. These cannot always be avoided but there are ways they can be deflected.
2. Try to build in as much green time physical activities. Even adopting the freeze dance technique in aiding body control can help sometimes.
3. When a situation is about to explode, you can try deep breathing and relaxation techniques. Simple techniques like counting to ten can be useful too. Sometimes parents may need this more than the child!
4. Decide what type of medication is best for your child while you are applying the behavior modification and learning more about parenting an impulsive child.

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