Manipulative children often try to control situations or people to get what they want. Whether it’s in the form of favorite food, toys, or even attention. What are the characteristics of a manipulative child from an early age?
Quoted from Mom Junction, psychological and emotional manipulatives can be carried out to gain control over someone or make someone comply with their demands using skillful tactics.
In a 2018 study in the journal MedCrave, observations were made of 160 children aged 3-7 years. It was found that children carry out acts of manipulation to fulfill their needs.
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Characteristics of manipulative children
The characteristics of a manipulative child are often not clearly visible, so it is not easy to know whether your little one is trying to ‘control’ Mother or not. However, the following general characteristics require special attention:
1. Emotions easily explode
Some children cannot easily take ‘no’ for an answer when they want something. If you don’t grant their request, it can make them very angry. Children can lose control and find it difficult to control their emotions, resulting in emotional outbursts, aggressive responses, rude behavior, and crying.
Although a child’s emotionally intense behavior may cause parents to choose to impose punishment, it can also confuse parents and make them comply with the request.
2. Repeated tantrums
Another characteristic of manipulative children is that they easily throw tantrums. It is characterized by intense anger over a short period of time or at least until they succeed in getting what they want.
They may scream or lie on the toy store floor and cry when they don’t obey. It is normal for children to experience tantrums, but you need to reconsider giving in to their wishes if this action has become a recurring habit.
According to data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, children between the ages of 6-11 show higher rates of behavioral problems than children under 6 and over 11.
3. Taking advantage of other people’s weaknesses
Quoted from Psych Central, the next characteristic of manipulative children is being able to identify and exploit other people’s weaknesses. For example, when a child knows that his request will not be rejected by Father, he will ask for something from him and not from Mother.
4. Pretend to get sympathy
Manipulative children will use various methods to get what they want, including pretending to be sick or injured. That way, there is a big chance that they will get sympathy or even be able to avoid activities they don’t like.
5. Bribe with good behavior
In addition, manipulative children may also flatter or show extra kind behavior to get what they want. However, this good behavior will immediately disappear when his wish has been achieved.
How to deal with manipulative child behavior
Illustration of mother and child/Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto/Stock photo and footage
The following are several parenting strategies that can be used to overcome and discipline children’s manipulative behavior:
1. Set goals
Setting goals is very important to achieve any target. Sometimes, children tend to use manipulation to get what they want. However, if you feel that your child’s manipulative behavior occurs repeatedly, try setting specific goals.
For example, you can try to ‘challenge’ your child to patiently wait a week until the request is complied with. This will help children stop for a moment and control the urge to do something spontaneously.
This time lag can help control the child’s temperament and close the door to manipulative behavior.
2. Distract the child’s attention
Using distractions is another great way to manage your child’s manipulative behavior. Some research shows that children have the ability to adopt simple coping mechanisms, such as engaging in games to divert attention.
3. Be a role model
Humans learn to behave by observing other people, a process also called social learning. This also applies to children, Mother.
Parents need to act as role models and show children how to be patient when they need something from someone. This includes role playing with children to teach them the correct way to wait for something if asked.
This method is effective for teaching social skills, communication, empathy, self-control, and much more.
That’s a review of the characteristics of manipulative children and how to deal with them appropriately. If you feel you need help dealing with your child’s manipulative behavior, don’t hesitate to consult a professional.
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