Child Abuse Prevention
Alternatives To Child Abuse
Every parent gets stressed out. The baby is crying …Tommy has a cold and he’s whining because he wants to go out and play …Suzy is throwing a temper tantrum …
the phone is ringing … the dog is barking …your teenager is blasting music that can be heard down the street … what is a parent to do?
The next time life’s everyday pressures build up to the point where you feel like lashing out or worse … STOP!Try any of these simple alternatives. You’ll feel better… and so will your child.
- Take a deep breath… and another, and another, and another. Then remember you are the adult.
- Close your eyes and imagine you’re hearing what your child is about to hear.
- Press your lips together and count to 10… counting to 20 is even better.
- Put your child in a time-out chair (a good rule to remember is : one time-out minute for each year of age.)
- Put yourself in a time-out chair. Think about why you are angry …is it your child, or is your child simply a convenient target for your anger?
- Phone a friend.
- If someone can watch the children, go outside and take a walk.
- Take a hot bath or splash cold water on your face.
- Hug a pillow. If it gets really bad – punch the pillow.
- Turn on some music. Maybe even sing along.
- Pick up a pencil and write down as many helpful words as you can think of. Save the list. Even better is keeping a journal. Make sure to date each page you use.
- Call for prevention information
Even when children push all of your buttons … remember … they’re just children!
You are the adult!
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