Patterns of Kids' Behavior Problems

Many children are model kids for most of the day, and only misbehave at certain times or under certain circumstances.

If you are facing kids' behavior problems and trying to figure out how to discipline this type of child, here are some tips from successful parents.

Using these techniques may help you analyze your child’s behavior and determine why they are perfect children at one moment and why they may act out at other times.

Try to target the worst or most disruptive behavior. Think about what your kid does and when he does it and see if there is a pattern in your kids' behavior problems.

Using just that ONE behavior as a starting point, start a journal or log and try to track the following questions and anything else you think you need to know about schedules and patterns of poor behavior:

Is there a particular ...

•     time of day the behavior occurs?
•     day of the week on which the behavior occurs?
•     situation that triggers the behavior?

Does your kid's behavior problems tend to occur when you are ...

•     alone with the child?
•     in public with the child?

Does your kid's behavior problems occur when the child is ...

•     tired?
•     hungry?
•     confused?
•     playing with other children?
•     asked to sit still or stay quiet for a long period of time?
•     around something that he dislikes, something that makes him nervous or upset?

Does your kid's behavior problems occur when the child ...

•     feels insecure?
•     anticipates a certain event or occurrence (like company or a party?)

Does your kid's behavior problems occur...

•     in a certain location all the time?
•     when there is chaos in the room or environment?
•     immediately after happening something?

As you track these behaviors over a period of time, you will probably start to see a pattern.

With toddlers, especially, the child is more likely to act out when they are tired, hungry or off schedule.
For older children, often the trigger for the behavior is more complex.