Motives of Misbehavior: Why Children Act Up?
There has got to be a reason for all that crying, kicking, screaming and general misbehavior. Even if university research, educational Web sites and other sources differ on why children act up, they all agree parents should try to find out what’s behind it. “Children misbehave for a reason. Being a parent can sometimes seem like being a detective,” according to The WonderWise Parent, an online resource created through Kansas State Research and Extension. “Why did my child do that? What is he trying to accomplish? “If the behavior is accidental or if the child did not know it was unacceptable, then the behavior is not really misbehavior. Misbehavior involves deliberate disobedience to a reasonable limit.” Deliberately acting out could be because: • Children were rewarded for doing it; • They are copying their parents; • They are testing rules; • Children are asserting themselves and independence; • They are protecting themselves; • Or children feel bad about themselves, according to The
