The birth of a child is a great joy for the whole family. Your little miracle is the most-most remarkable and unique. The child grows up, and parents begin to notice that he already has his own habits, some of them are not very good, for example:
- thumb sucking;
- nipping the nails;
- picking in the nose;
- pulling or twisting hair.
Why do they arise?
The causes of bad habits in children are many. Sometimes they arise simply from the unconscious desire of the child to imitate someone. Therefore, close to the child should first of all monitor their habits and not give the child a reason to copy your picking in the nose or biting the nails.
According to children's psychologists, all children's bad habits arise from a lack of attention to the child in the family. The crumbs were left for a long time alone, rarely taken on pens, early weaned from my mother's breast, uncomfortable, bored and even scared. In order to occupy themselves somehow, the child seeks compensation and comfort in the tactile sensations available to him-he sucks his finger, tugs his ear, picks up the navel, plays with his sexual organs.
The child gets used to calming himself with such ritual actions, which gradually become a harmful habit. Initially, the child, thus, consoles himself in the mother's absence, and then, even if the mother is next to him, he is already interested in doing himself. So obsessive habits are formed in children, which soothe a child during the day, put him to sleep at night, help get rid of fears.
Often such a harmful habit, like sucking a finger, arises from the immaturity of the biorhythms of the brain. The sucking reflex serves normal development of the child and if it was early weaned, sucking a finger or pacifier up to 3-4 years is considered normal for such children.
In a certain difficult situation, experiencing fear, anxiety or nervousness, a child can become attached to a single thing or toy and not part with it, finding comfort and comfort only by holding the thing in his hands. Often this happens when the child begins to walk into the kindergarten, and the mother is not around, and there are only strangers. Gradually, the child gets acquainted with the surrounding children and educators and, if friendly relations are established with all of them, then unnoticed and the need for "his" toy or thing disappears.
Pre-school children may develop bad habits, which can then turn into a character trait:
- shuffling his feet while walking;
- rocking on a chair;
- use of words-parasites;
- grasping the interlocutor by the sleeve or button;
- excessive gesticulation;
- away from the eyes of the interlocutor.
It's not for nothing that people say: you sow the habit - reap a character. Such harmful habits in children arise with the costs of education and, combining one with another, form the character traits of the child. Therefore, it is so important to prevent bad habits in children. Close contact with the child, interest in all of his affairs, unobtrusive and imperceptible direction of his actions - that's what will help the child to avoid the appearance of bad habits, but if they have already arisen, they will help eradicate them.
How to deal with bad habits in children?
Unequivocally you can answer that punishment and prohibitions can not be helped here. Getting rid of bad habits is not easy and time can take a lot. Therefore, parents need to be patient and persuasively prove to the child that it is harmful to gnaw the nails because a lot of dirt and microbes accumulate under them, and all this gets into his mouth. A small child can think of a fairy tale about finger-brothers, a girl to tell that the hands of a future woman should be beautiful and well-groomed. If a child sucks a finger, then to punish and scold him does not make sense - nothing will help, he will suck it already secretly. It is better to give him as much attention as possible, to distract him with interesting activities and games, or just to caress the crumbs. If the child's finger is constantly in the nose, this may indicate that the nasal mucosa dries up and this gives him discomfort. It is worth to see a doctor for advice.
Well, I also have to say about such a "terrible" problem as childish masturbation. Many children in childhood are engaged in "this" and every parent is shocked when he sees how his baby touches himself "there." But actually it's terrible only for us adults, and a small child does it completely unconsciously. For crumbs to explore their genitals is as natural as touching their hands, legs, ears. But older children can touch themselves already consciously, it can give them pleasure. And here the parents should be alert: do not let the child stay in bed for a long time, the laundry should not be tight, regular hygiene of the genitals to avoid irritation and itching.
Do not scold the child, let him know that what he does is natural,
At the heart of all bad habits in children is a psychological problem. Combating them is a fight against the child's insecurity, his anxiety. Complexed adults grow up from those children whom they loved little in childhood, caressed little and cared about them. Therefore, it is so important that you have a peaceful, benevolent atmosphere of love and harmony at home, and then you will overcome any hardships.