Title: Manipulative Child Behavior - 6 Tips For Parents | Empowering Parents
Headings: Manipulative Child Behavior? My Kids Are “Too Smart for Their Own Good”
Manipulative Child Behavior? My Kids Are “Too Smart for Their Own Good”
By Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC
“My kids are driving me crazy! They are so manipulative I can’t stand it!”
The Cycle of Manipulation, Control and Defiance
1. Recognize Manipulative Behaviors
2. Know Your Triggers
3. Define Yourself and Your Parenting Principles
4. Approach the Bench
5. Believe in Your Child
6. Soothe Yourself
About Debbie Pincus, MS LMHC
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Content: But then, ‘Oops!’ She conveniently forgets all her promises.” “When we step way back we can see that kids can only manipulate us because we allow their behavior to be effective.” If your kids are like most, they are masterful at finding creative ways to wear you down to get their way. You might think, “My child is just too smart for his own good!” It’s important to understand first that it’s natural for kids to “want what they want and try to get it at all costs.” It’s also natural for us as parents to get frustrated and tired, and to give in to these behaviors sometimes — or perhaps more often than we’d like to admit! Parents have busy lives and lots of stressors – we can only take so much, after all. As aggravating as it is for you, for your child, finding ingenious ways to try and get what she wants or avoid what she doesn’t want to do is a way for her to exercise influence in a world run by adults. ( It doesn’t mean you have to give in, but it’s important to realize that it’s developmentally appropriate.)