Top 10 Parenting Problems And Solutions

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Often, parenting problems are not taken as seriously as they should be. Although these are common struggles that most parents go through, it does not take away from the fact that it can be quite stressful. As parents, you want to maintain harmony in the house and keep your children safe and happy. As parents, you want to maintain harmony in the house and keep your children safe and happy. But their constant rebellious attitude and tantrums don’t make it an easy task. No matter how much you try to keep your composure, it is natural to lose your cool at times. So here we discuss the common problems faced by parents and effective ways to deal with them.

What Do You Mean By Parenting Issues?

Parenting is one of the most fulfilling and challenging experiences. Parenting issues refer to various challenges, concerns, and dilemmas that parents may face while raising children. These issues can arise at different stages of a child’s development and can be influenced by various factors, including childcare, discipline, finances, daily routine, and household chores, to name a few. However, it is important to note that parenting issues can vary widely based on individual circumstances and the unique needs of each child.

Top 10 Common Parenting Problems And Solutions

Next time, instead of going crazy at your little one, try out our solutions for top 10 parenting problems:

1. Frequent Tantrums

This is one of the most annoying parenting problems that can easily get on parents’ nerves. A child who starts crying at the drop of a hat or who does not listen to reason is difficult to manage (1).

Solution:

• In such a situation it is important to not lose your cool. It is best not to react instantly.
• Tell your child that you will listen to him only after he stops crying.
• It is important to show your kids that you are not unnerved by their temper tantrums.
• As a parent, it’s your responsibility to manage your child’s rebellious attitude and tantrums with proper guidance and support.

Point to consider

If your child does not not discontinue the habit of throwing tantrums, don’t give harsh punishments. Instead, sit with them and try to understand their expectations.

2. Children Who Do Not Obey

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Children often do this to show their importance. Saying no to what you want them to do and disobedience in taking orders is very common.

Solution:

Don’t try to curb your child’s autonomy.

• At the same time, do not tolerate rude behavior.
• You can always respect their opinions, but teach them what is right and wrong.
• Your calmness and composure will definitely soothe them (2).
• Reward them for the behavior you want from them rather than opting for punishments (2).

3. Unmanageable Sibling Rivalry

For those of you who have two or more children, constant fights among the siblings can be one of the biggest challenges. Frequent fights and arguments over nothing can drive any parent nuts (3).

Solution:

• The best way to handle this is to separate siblings after a fight to make them cool down.
• Don’t try to be a judge by deciding who is right and who is wrong.
• Also make some rules in advance so that there are lesser issues to be dealt with later on.

Quick fact

Sibling rivalry affects not only those that are actively involved in the fight but also the entire family. It might cause unnecessary stress to the parents and anyone else in earshot.

4. Children Telling White Lies

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Children often resort to telling lies, not knowing that you are aware of their lying (4).

Solution:

• Never punish them or scold them for lying, instead, talk to them about the consequences of their actions. This will help hone their decision-making skills and help them make better choices.
• Instead of being judgemental or angry, explain that lying will not lead them anywhere.
• Give them some time and let them learn on their own that lying is harmful. Set examples of what problems lying can lead to.

5. Aggressive And Violent Attitude

An angry child is stressful for parents.

Frustration aggravates when complaints start pouring in about your child beating others and resorting to little violence (5).

Solution:

• Try to find out the reasons for his anger and understand his anger.
  
• Most of the time, your child does have a valid reason.
  
• If there are frequent anger outbursts, talk to a therapist for anger management to rule out the serious manifestations later.

6. Complaining And Whining Kids

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Almost all children whine and complain, but some do more of it. You may consider it as a problem and start ignoring them and do little to understand the complaints of your little ones (6).

Solution:

• Most times you may fail to understand that your children complain or whine only to seek your attention.
• No matter how trivial, talking to your child often helps rather than side lining it.

Paula E. Bird, a retired university teacher, explains how she deals with whining students. She says, ”When my students whine, they are generally letting me know that they need my personal attention and help in learning how to do something. I naturally gravitate to their vicinity the minute I hear the whine and give the student some personal attention and physical correction (i).’’

7. Resistance During Studies

Children hate to study and no parent tolerates such behavior. As a parent you may try to coerce your kid to study hard and put pressure on them to perform well (7).

Solution:

• When your child is genuinely uninterested in studies, find out what he is interested in.
• Pressuring your child to study can never result in anything good.
• Let your child tread this path slowly and learn from the experiences.
• Set a good example through role modeling. If you want to help your child study and read books more often, start reading yourself.

8. Poor Eating Habits

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Children often love all the junk food in the world and hate anything nutritious. As a parent you try your best to feed them by force and by deception, but this never works out (8).

Solution:

• Don’t force your child to eat anything.
• Try to explain the consequences.
• Prepare healthy meals your child likes.
• Help your child develop a taste for nutritional food by getting them involved in the cooking process.

A mother of two and primary school teacher, elaborates, in her blog, on the importance of getting creative while making healthy foods for children. In her blog, she explains, ”After a recent visit to our local Farmer’s Market, the boys and I got busy reading Oliver’s Vegetables and then painted with every possible vegetable we could!! Before the boys had afternoon tea, I had prepared a surprise for them – a muffin tray full of the fruits that are in the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Get creative when you want your children to eat fruits and veg…. find a book about the food and read it to the kids while they munch on a healthy snack (ii).’’

9. Addiction To Gadgets

Children these days are born with affinity towards gadgets. Their addiction can bring down your patience level to deal with the same (9).

Solution:

• Try to control the hours your child spends on such gadgets.
• Set some disciplinary rules that need to be adhered to diligently.
• Introduce them to other interesting hobbies and activities.

10. Shy And Lack Of Confidence

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Some children shun company and are always lonely. This can be a cause for concern, as parents may feel their child is getting left out.

Solution:

• Encourage your children and praise their efforts
• Understand his temperament.
• Teach them how to cope with failure and disappointments.
• Give them lots of love and help them express themselves better.
• Get in touch with a therapist if he/she is not able to mix with peers at all (10).

Infographic: Solutions For Common Parenting Problems

Now that you have become a parent, you need to be aware of everything your child does. Of course, each child is different, and so are the challenges you may face, but the infographic below includes some parenting problems that are common to every parent and how to tackle them. Scroll on!

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Top 10 Parenting Problems And Solutions

Image: Dall·E/MomJunction Design Team

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Reviewer Author Editor Fact Checker

Shreshtha DharM.A, M.Phil

Shreshtha Dhar is a licensed Clinical Psychologist with a professional experience of around seven years. Presently, she operates her private practice, Thought Craft, based out of Kolkata. She has special interest in the emotional and behavioral issues of both children and adults.

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Kalpana MMA (English)

Kalpana Nadimpalli graduated in English Literature and Psychology. Her fascination for the corporate world made her do a Masters in Business Administration from Andhra University. Being a mother of two boys, she could naturally fit into the shoes of a writer at MomJunction.

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Apoorva KMSc (Counseling Psychology)

Apoorva is a certified psychological counselor and NLP practitioner. The assistant professor-turned-writer believes that her experience as a teacher, psychologist, and researcher enables her to guide MomJunction readers on child development and mental health.

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