Stubborn, lazy, and distracted children possess unique traits that can lead to a better career success and happy life. Explore how genetic analysis and the right environment can help understand a child's behavioral traits, which can be channeled towards a positive path.
What you will learn -
Are you constantly asking around and searching online for queries like “how to deal with stubborn child” and “my child is smart, but there is lack of concentration?”
You're not alone if you have a stubborn, lazy, or easily distracted little one. Many parents struggle with the same bedtime battles and mealtime meltdowns.
Besides, what if you are looking at it all wrong? What if that laziness could be a good thing for your child, for instance?
Did you know lazy people tend to be brainer than physically active people?
Even researchers define laziness as a "need for cognition", where lazy people look for intense mental simulation activities like solving puzzles, playing chess, debating.
Studies increasingly support the notion that personality traits that were previously considered negative, can actually be a good thing.
For instance, stubborn children are more likely to be successful than other children. What does stubborn mean in the role of a salesperson or a lawyer? It means determined!
And of course, even your child can achieve great success as a stubborn, lazy or distracted child. But that can happen through identifying your child's genetic strengths and providing right environment to nurture those.
So, how can you create the ideal environment that helps your stubborn child, or lazy kids to thrive?
And how do you identify – and tap into – the positive side of child behavior traits that are commonly perceived as negative?
You’re here reading this, so you’ve taken a step in the right direction. Facilitating your child starts with understanding your child’s behaviour or if your child is misguided in any way.
There is increasing awareness that genetics plays a role in shaping child personality. Parents are increasingly getting aware that multiple genes collectively contribute to behavioural traits like stubbornness, laziness, or distractibility.
However, we shouldn’t forget the influence of the child’s environment. Let’s look at genetic factors that impact your child’s traits:
Genetic abnormalities or mutations can contribute to specific behavioural traits.
For example, ADHD is associated with a combination of genetic and environmental factors. Studies suggest that genetic variations affecting dopamine neurotransmitter systems play a role in its development.
If you’re “afraid to find out” you aren’t the first parent to feel that way. But look at it this way: you’ll only be able to really help your child once you know.
Children with learning disabilities are supposed to get the right environment at school, for example. You can negotiate a right environment for your child to the school authorities only when you are aware of your child's genetic information.
Environmental factors can trigger chemical modifications in the genes, switching them on or off. This dynamic interaction between genes and the environment shapes a child’s personality and can explain individual differences in responses to the same genetic predispositions.
In other words, the nature vs nurture argument “is dead” as scientist David Eagleman puts it. Eaglemen goes on to say that social feedback has a huge role to play in how the human brain develops.
Your child’s environment is a key factor to tap into his/her true genetic potential.
You can say that your child’s DNA is the foundation for your child’s life and career, but it becomes successful only through an enabling learning environment.
Pay attention to the following important environmental factors that contribute to a child's personality:
That’s why you need to inculcate positive and supportive environments which foster resilience and adaptive behaviour in your child. You want to avoid adverse environments because they affect your child's behaviour.
Here is how your child’s environment links to specific behavioral traits:
To support your child in overcoming behavioural challenges, creating an enabling learning environment helps channel negative child behaviour to positive child behaviour. Here are some strategies to consider:
Are you always wondering how to deal with stubborn child?
It’s a normal parent nature – after all, you expect your children to show positive and socially accepting behaviour. It's for their own good.
So parents should try this:
Positive reinforcement can motivate your child to make better choices and gradually improve stubborn or lazy behaviour.
Ever heard about the Pygmalion effect?
It is a psychological phenomenon where positive reinforcement and high expectations get better performance, while criticism and low expectations damage performance. This is proven science! And all you need to do is say nicer things.
You are complaining that your child is lazy and stubborn, but are you a lazy and stubborn parent?
If yes, then that may be the root cause of your child's laziness or stubbornness.
Pro tips to handle lazy children:
As your child grows, you can develop organisational skills by teaching them to prioritise tasks, create their own to-do lists, and manage their time effectively. This is especially important if you’re trying to figure out how to motivate a teenager.
Here’s what you need to do create an enabling learning environment for your children:
But remember, doing is better than saying. Positive reinforcement in parenting works when parents participate with children in various interests and activities of his/her interests.
This cannot be emphasised enough: Nurture a strong emotional bond with your child.
You can easily manage your child's lazy, stubborn, and distracted behaviour with a strong parent-child emotional connection. That might sound complex, but it's possible through these three actions:
Parenting stubborn, distracted, and lazy kids can be challenging, but it can be incredibly rewarding with the right environment and strategies.
Understanding the underlying factors behind the child’s behaviour, across genetic predispositions and environmental influences, is crucial in providing the support they need to thrive. Talk to genetics experts, explore genetic testing, and invest not just money, but also your time, and emotions. After all, we’re talking about your child’s future.
Embracing your child’s individuality, practicing positive reinforcement, and fostering healthy child-parent communication works wonders in improving child behaviour.
As a parent, you must respect your child’s boundaries and create a learning environment that nurtures stubbornness, laziness, and distractedness into ambition, discipline, and focus.