Being a parent is already a challenging responsibility, but it can be extra difficult if you’re parenting a child model. Although this isn’t always the case, youngsters who undertake an early career in modeling sometimes develop defiant behavior. After all, they have to deal with a lot more than the average school kid with their “work.”
But, as with other children, young models demonstrate such behavior for a reason. Whether it’s because of frustration in their school, career, or social life, testing boundaries, or seeking attention, understanding why your child is acting this way is the key to solving the issue.
To help you out, here are several ways by which you can manage your child model’s defiant behavior and, ultimately, raise them into responsible and well-behaved adults:
Stay Calm, Don’t Yell
Parenting can be stressful, so it is only natural for you to lose your cool when engaging in an argument with children. But being normal doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to do.
Laying out the consequences of their actions is not the most effective way of managing defiant behavior – it can even make things worse. This means that yelling will only fan the flames of defiance.
Since youngsters tend to copy their parent’s attitude in certain situations, you should always keep your reaction in check, keep a cool head, and lead by example. It also helps if you set clear expectations for your child and avoid giving commands.
Highlight Good Attitudes
Sometimes, children act out just because they don’t get as much attention from their parents as they wish. Unfortunately, many parents make the mistake of paying attention only when their children do or say things that need to be corrected.
This can be remedied through positive reinforcement.
To do this, it is important that you highlight your child’s good attitude rather than focus on the bad to show him that he will get better attention from his parents if he’s being a good boy. Building on the positive means you have to praise your child and reward cooperative behavior, but never use it to bargain (more on that later).
Speak to Him at Eye Level
Sometimes, children don’t want to listen to their parents when they feel a power struggle coming on. This is when you try to impose your authority as his mother or father.
To avoid power struggles, you need to make sure that you speak to your child at eye level. This means that instead of telling your child to stop doing something, approach him and calmly request him to do something else. For example, if you want your child to stop running around the house, go to him and tell him to “just walk” rather than saying a stern “don’t run.”
Use Downtimes to Talk to Your Child
Although your young child model is often busy with photo shoots and auditions, it is important that you find time to speak to him about his recent behavior. When initiating this talk, make sure to choose your words wisely.
Start off by sitting down and telling him that you take your job as his mom or dad seriously. After that, you can point out that your sole intention is to ensure his safety and wish for him to grow into a responsible adult with a fulfilling life. At this point, you can start reminding him that the values and rules you’re imposing on him and his siblings are in place for their own good and aren’t meant to cause him grief as he grows up.
Be Firm, Don’t Bargain
As a parent, you are expected to experience various emotions, especially if your child is displaying defiant behavior. Aside from anger, you will also experience flashes of disappointment, fear and, sometimes, defeat. If you feel that you’re getting nowhere with your child, you should remain firm to avoid reinforcing bad behavior.
Remember that being consistent with what you tell your children is the best course of action. You shouldn’t give repeat chances and show him that you are serious about what you’re telling him.
This also means that you should avoid bargaining for good behavior. Believe it or not, offering a reward before your child even shows positive behavior only enables negative attitudes as it will cause him to test how far you can go without offering another bargain.
Final Word of Advice
Like other kids, child and teen models undergo stresses and frustrations in life that may cause them to display defiant behavior. As parents, your responsibility goes beyond pushing them to succeed in their career. In this time of need, you should provide unwavering guidance to make sure they grow into responsible adults.
AUTHOR BIO
Adam Jacobs is the Managing Director of Bubblegum Casting, the longest running agency specialising in babies, children and teen talent in Australia. Bubblegum Casting works with some of Australia’s biggest brands, media properties and agencies to secure talented children to work in Television, Film and Modelling roles.
