How to Ignore an Obnoxious Child

As much as you love your child, he likely has his moments when he gets on your nerves. Instead of reacting negatively to your child̵7;s obnoxious behavior, employ a different parenting technique that can help minimize the behavior you don̵7;t want. By ignoring behavior, you send a subtle, yet effective, message to your child about acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Your child should learn from your cues and learn that obnoxious behavior isn't productive.

Instructions

    • 1

      Examine your child's behavior to find the obnoxious behaviors that are possibilities for selective ignoring, advises the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center at the Oregon Health & Science University. Any behavior that harms someone or something is not appropriate for selective ignoring, but you can ignore many other behaviors. Behaviors that are candidates for ignoring include yelling and screaming, tantrums, interrupting, acting rudely, swearing and whining.

    • 2

      Ignore the behaviors you flagged for selective ignoring when they occur. Instead of nagging, coaxing, reprimanding or sending your child to her room, just turn around and walk away. If your child follows you for attention, tell her you don̵7;t like what she̵7;s doing but that you̵7;ll be available to listen or talk when she behaves more respectfully and pleasantly. Explaining and then ignoring communicates your expectations clearly to your child, which helps her meet your expectations.

    • 3

      Manage your emotions while you ignore your child to prevent the behavior from upsetting you. Ignoring obnoxious behaviors will get easier with time and consistency. In the beginning, you may feel frustrated or anxious when you stop responding in typical fashion. Take deep breaths, meditate, or even distract yourself with music or television to restore your peace.

    • 4

      Give attention to the behaviors you want to see in your child to reinforce them. By praising desired behavior, you teach your youngster which behaviors you want to see and which behaviors you don̵7;t want him to show you. With consistency, your child will catch on to the fact that he gets positive attention with good behavior and nothing with rude behavior.

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