Little kids are adorable, they know what they want, are always there, and are inevitable. There is no way to truly escape them. 

Whether you have a niece or nephew on the way, hope to have kids in the future, or are going into a line of work involving kids, you need to know how to talk to and take care of them. So what do you need to know to properly do that? 

Kids Are Unpredictable.

All children have different needs and styles of learning. In order to take care of them, you have to be ready to change your attitude to fit what they need at that moment. 

If a child is acting out and you need to discipline them, putting them in the corner or yelling at them might just make them do it more. 

Kids act out because they need attention so both of those methods are positive reinforcement that if they act out then they will get more attention. 

Of course, this method does work for some but if they continue to make trouble like this you may need to look into alternative ways to keep them behaving. 

Another way is asking them to practice something with you. Whether it be practicing who can listen the most when others are speaking and whoever wins gets a sticker or practicing doing something together. This both makes them feel more welcomed and can often halt bad behavior for many kids.

Children Want Their Questions Answered. 

Kids are young and trying to learn. They ask questions over and over until they’re answered to try to grow, and refusing to answer them may lead to them closing off or getting information in harmful ways. 

Yes, their questions feel redundant. Yes, it will get on your nerves, but remember they are trying. Remember yourself back at their age trying to figure things out and feeling guilty when you forgot. Give them the chance you weren’t able to have.

Now if they do happen to ask inappropriate questions, do your best to distract them. Don’t yell at them for asking, just try to rephrase their questions to mean something else or switch the subject altogether.

If that doesn’t work then answer very vaguely and explain in terms that the child will understand. Also, tell them why they shouldn’t repeat the question or its answer.

There Are Situations Where You Will Need to “Be the Bad Guy.” Children Are Not Perfect.

You will most likely grow close to the children you are with. You will want to believe that what happens isn’t their fault. 

“They were provoked” “They just have a lot of energy” “The teacher just didn’t teach them well”

Always get the full story before believing something was or wasn’t their fault. 

Let them know that what they did was wrong, whether they were provoked to do it or not, in whatever way you need for them to hear you. Let them know it can’t happen again.

Children Notice and Observe Your Characteristics and Attitude While Trying to Copy It. 

Kids will try to become you, both the good and the bad. Even that closed-off attitude that snaps at them when they go too far, they might adopt it. That nervousness that you will mess up with them may make a shy child struggle more.

Try to project the best parts of yourself when around them and they will do the same. 

Lastly, Being yourself is the best thing you can do with Kids.

No matter how good you are with children they are not going to turn out perfect. Just like you can never be perfect all the time around them.

Show them it’s ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them. 

Children are the most forgiving people you will ever meet, so don’t be afraid to mess up. Anyone, including you, can be good with children all it takes is the effort to try.