Identifying and handling the attention-seeking children

Source: Times of India
Children usually crave their parent's attention and approval, which is completely normal behavior. It only becomes problematic when they need it all the time and starts misbehaving when they are ignored. Some kids are charmers and gain their parent's sympathy by making tragedies out of trivial concerns, while others cry and stomp their feet to get what they want.

A melodramatic child often uses emotions to manipulate a parent's mind. Parents may always find them overreacting or reacting in a disproportionate intensity to the situation and when children's needs are not fulfilled, they will start crying or throwing things everywhere. Kids also sometimes fake their illness to prevent their parents from going out and spend more time with them.

Kids are generally curious and they ask a lot of questions almost about everything. Kids start to make up some weird scenarios and will ask questions related to that just to get parent's responses. Crying or shouting are common behaviors for craving parent's attention.

The attention-seeking child might misbehave or might finish their work on time or might not finish their food, just to get a response from their parents. They know well what makes their parents angry and how to respond to their behavior. Kids do all these things just to get their parent's attention, so parents must not neglect them always.

Also read: How parents can help kids in making friends