Dear Readers,
As a psychology teacher and counselor with over thirty years of experience, I’ve worked with a wide range of formative cases and issues. I am now starting a series to share some key instances relevant to child rearing-stories that offer deep insights for parents and families. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them-especially young men and women who are already parents or preparing to become so. Learning from these can help you raise your children thoughtfully and contribute to global harmony through improved child development.
Many of my students, with degrees in psychology, work as special educators or counselors in schools or centers across southern Gujarat. In challenging cases, they often consult with me. One counselor called me one day about a preschool child-recently admitted-who immediately reacted to any discomfort or teasing by throwing tantrums. Just 10 to 12 days after starting school, the child would respond impulsively to anything he disliked.
I advised: talk with the parents, take a family history, then we’ll proceed. The next call came: both parents came in, and through deep conversation, we discovered the origin of the tantrums.
It turned out the child had learned this reactive behavior by observing his parents at home. Whenever the parents argued, they often responded with tantrums themselves-behavior the child witnessed repeatedly. That answered my question. It was unlikely a child who had just joined school-and was only three and a half years old-learned tantrum behavior from outside. Instead, preschoolers learn by observing parents, assuming that what parents do is appropriate and acceptable, and imitating them unthinkingly.
In this case, parents were guided to change their behavior, avoid arguing in front of the child, and refrain from reacting with tantrums. Soon, we observed positive improvement in the child’s behavior. Dear readers, children absorb what you do much faster and more precisely than what you say. Therefore, model the behavior you’d like them to follow because they truly imitate what they see in you.
Disclaimer:
This article reflects the author’s personal insights and reflections. It is shared with the intention of encouraging thoughtful parenting and generational harmony. The project and foundation are acknowledged as part of the original source for transparency and integrity.
