If you're struggling to get your kids to do what you ask them, this parenting coach's advice will be a lifesaver and stop all the pushback they give you.
Parenting is a constant learning task. As you go through each of a child's development stages, new challenges are placed in front of you and, at times, it can feel like an uphill battle no matter which parenting style you choose to subscribe to.
One of the biggest troubles parents often face is getting a child to simply listen to them. But whether you're wondering why your teenager is tuning you out or you're struggling with a child who won’t listen, parenting coach Tia Slightham has you covered with this brilliant trick that she promises will not only increase a child's listening, but also their cooperation with what you're asking them to do.
Taking to TikTok, the certified parenting coach shared, "Here's the thing. Everything we ask our kids to do is lame; brush their teeth, turn off their device so they can go to bed, clean up so they can come have dinner. Everything is boring and lame so no wonder they don't want to do it! We ask them to stop doing the fun things to do the boring things."
So how can we get kids to do those boring, but essential, tasks? It's all about swapping the way we approach the timeline of the day, says Slightham.
"What I want you to do is look at your day and flip flop the order in which your kids are doing things," she says. "I want you to ensure that the things they need to do are always done before the things they want to do."
@parentingcoach ♬ original sound - Tia Slightham M Ed. Certified
Her advice makes so much sense. Of course kids aren't going to stop watching their favourite TV show to go and take out the rubbish or do the other chores we set them. But they will do those 'lame' things in order to watch their show or do something else that they actually like to do.
"Simply look at your day from morning to night and shift it, so the 'need to dos' come before the 'want to dos'," the expert says, emphasising how simple her advice is.
TikTok users immediately loved the simple hack with one commenter sharing, "I can't wait to try this tomorrow! It makes so much sense."
Keep up to date with our family news and parenting hacks like ‘Kids don’t have the skills to manage those feelings’ – a psychologist reveals 3 reasons why your kid is being rude, and how parents can break the cycle, and Questions to ask kids after school: 14 of the best from the experts, as well as Teen not taking your ‘unsolicited’ advice? Here’s how to make yourself heard (without being given the side eye).
