Why Your Child Doesn't Listen: Hidden Reasons You Don't Know About

Parents are often convinced that children's disobedience is a whim or an attempt at manipulation.

But sometimes adults don't notice how their own actions turn an obedient child into a "rebel." Here's what might actually be behind a child's resistance.

Adults sometimes demand the impossible from children. They impose a schedule on a toddler that leaves no time for play, or they expect a three-year-old to behave like an adult: sit still, not laugh loudly, not touch “forbidden” objects.

Fatigue and misunderstanding accumulate, and the child refuses to fulfill even simple requests.

Another problem is double standards. Today, Mom explains that lying is bad, and tomorrow she asks to say on the phone that she is not at home. Dad forbids eating chips, but regularly buys them himself.

Such contradictions are confusing. The child stops understanding which rules to believe, and parental authority gradually melts away.

Sometimes adults turn children's lives into a continuous "no-no". No jumping in puddles, no singing loudly, no taking toys without asking.

Prohibitions that ignore the natural needs for movement and independence sooner or later lead to an explosion.

The kid starts breaking the rules not out of spite, but to prove that his voice matters too.

Paradoxically, permissiveness is also harmful. If a child is allowed to do everything, he does not learn to consider the interests of others.

Why should he suddenly obey at age five if he has never been told "no" before? The lack of boundaries creates the illusion that rules are something frivolous and can be ignored.

How to find a balance? Offer choices where appropriate. Let a three-year-old decide which T-shirt to wear to kindergarten, and a schoolchild decide which sandwich to take with him.

But don’t put on him something he can’t handle: daily routines and safety issues should remain the responsibility of adults.

A child's behavior is often a mirror of the actions of adults. Before demanding obedience, it is worth asking yourself: have you yourself become the cause of resistance?