Question
My son wants to buy several toys almost every day. If I don’t buy them for him, he will nag endlessly until he gets what he wants. He doesn’t listen to reason, and I can’t bear to hit him. I really don’t know what to do.
Answer
Children at this age are in a critical period of exploring the world, and many of their habits of interacting with the outside world are formed during this time. At this stage, their sense of right and wrong is very simple, and it’s natural for them to have feelings of dissatisfaction if their demands are not met, resulting in crying and nagging. If parents give in to their children’s demands out of frustration, it will reinforce the child’s idea of using crying and nagging to threaten parents into satisfying their desires, and this behavior often escalates over time. Children at this age are naturally curious about the world, and it’s quite normal for them to nag for new toys. The key is for parents to guide them correctly. If parents always give in, children will feel that everything comes easily and will not cherish what they have. This can also damage the concept of delayed gratification, reducing their happiness, causing them to repeatedly demand new toys to satisfy themselves. It is recommended not to always give in to your child’s demands. When the child cries and nags, provide comfort and companionship, but do not satisfy them just because they are crying or nagging. Since the child’s bad habits have already formed, it may take some time to correct them, so patience is essential. Do not ignore the child or always satisfy their demands. At the same time, parents should also have some management over the child’s toys and try to guide them to choose toys that are beneficial for intellectual development. I hope this helps.