Young children in the emotional development stage often do not know how to express needs in words. Therefore, crying or rolling over to stall is a way for children to express discomfort, fatigue or want to be noticed. If parents only scold or coax them incorrectly, this situation can be repeated more often.
According to child psychologists, diving behavior does not appear naturally but always has specific causes behind it. When the reason is understood correctly, parents will easily adjust their handling instead of emotional reactions.
Below are 3 common reasons why children often dive and how to handle it effectively.
1. Children do not know how to express emotions in words
When language skills are not sufficient, children often use crying or screaming to express their needs. This often happens in the 1st to 3rd year of age.
The way to handle it is that parents should guide their children to call out simple emotion names such as "hungry child", "sad child", "fatigue child" so that children gradually learn how to communicate instead of scolding.
2. Children want to attract parental attention
If children notice that every time they dive they are noticed, whether scolding or comforting excessively, this behavior will easily be repeated.
The solution is that parents need to stay calm, not react too strongly, and increase the time of positive interaction with their children when they are well-behaved.
3. Children are tired, hungry or overexcited
Lack of sleep, hunger, or too noisy environments also make children easily irritable and dive.
The solution is to ensure a stable schedule, feed children on time, and create a quiet space when children show signs of fatigue.
Cheating is part of a child's emotional development process, but if parents understand the cause correctly and handle it consistently, this behavior will gradually decrease over time. The important thing is not to "put an end to cheating immediately" but to help children learn to better control their emotions.
