Using digital to get some of the cooperation your child gives others
Sometimes, it can seem like kids have a junior Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde situation going on. You hear from their teachers, camp counselors, or other caregivers how they are model citizens – eager to learn, diligent in their tasks, patient when they get stuck, and just all round wonderful. Can this be the same child that you know and love?
Why do kids behave better with others compared to their parents?
We all seem to save our worst behaviors for the ones we are closest to. Toddlers who declare at home that they are totally helpless in zipping their jackets may be actually the champion in zipping up at daycare. An 8-year-old who behaves like a beast with their sibling at home may be touted by their teacher as respectful and cooperative with their peers at school. When you hear such glorious praise for your child who shows you little of that side, you can’t help but be filled with a weird combination of pride and rage. At least the world sees the fruits of your labor but would it kill them to be that way with you too?
We won’t go into the science of why kids may behave better with anyone else. Maybe it’s just a human trait that you feel secure enough to act out towards those you know will be most forgiving. Even as adults we say things to friends and family that we wouldn’t dream of saying to acquaintances. We don’t know for sure why this is and that’s not the point of this blog. The insight we want to share is that if your child is a little diplomat with others but a whining, cantankerous pain with you, digital can be your dear friend in several situations.
Digital can create the sense of distance that draws out good behavior
Whether it is drawing a birthday card for a friend, practicing single-digit addition or building a diorama of a water cycle, there will be times when you need to work with your child. With kids, the level of sass grows with their age so just when they are doing so much in school and actually need your help, they pour the attitude on you. Short of keeping backup strangers in your house that the kids want to impress, the next best thing is to use the ‘not you-ness’ of digital to get more cooperation in these situations.
Some prime examples:
Digital learning resources are great for when the child needs explanation of a concept they are finding hard to grasp.
When a child is frustrated, anxious, and indeed feeling scared that they’ll never understand something, conditions are ripe for them to tear into you as their parent. Using digital does two great things for everybody. First, it takes you out of the line of fire of the child’s frustration and second, it gives the child options and a variety of ways to learn. The internet has a gazillion videos and games that will bring a learner up to speed on any topic. Rather than start 3rd world war in your home, get online, find this content for your child, place them in their Aneta Homeroom or learning path, and casually mention they should go to Aneta.
Digital learning resources are great for when the child needs to practice skills.
If you’re one of those people who practiced driving with your parents, good on you! You’re very special. There’s something about a stranger, even if they talk too fast or smell funny, that makes practicing with them the preferred choice for the vast share of the population. If your kid acts like your handwriting is kryptonite, spare everyone’s aggravation and use free worksheets from the internet instead of writing out exercises for them to do. Worksheetfun.com and education.com are just two of hundreds of great sources. Having a choice breeds cooperation so if you want them to do something, put two or more options that you’re okay with either way in Aneta for them and let them choose. As a bonus, let them make the act of clicking to print it themselves and make them feel like a royal.
Digital learning resources are great for when you want to reinforce healthy habits with kids.
It seems we all listen best when it is someone new. How quick are you to do something because your loved one says you should versus when a stranger says the same thing? Kids are no different even though they have higher stakes because there is so much more they need to learn just to keep safe. ‘Cross the street at a crosswalk’, ‘Don’t eat and sing at the same time’, ‘Get enough sleep’, ‘Drink water’, ‘You can’t eat candy for every meal’. Instead of talking yourself blue in the face, find a video, games, or even activities that educate on the topic and put it in Aneta for your child. Even if it is exactly the same words that would have come out of your mouth, coming from other than mom or dad, compliance is more likely.
With the bit of space that digital puts between you and the situation, you might get a chance to enjoy more of that angel child that everyone else gets.
