Kids can act up or be ‘naughty’ for all types of reasons, and it can be frustrating and even upsetting for us as parents at times. But it’s important to remember that rather than meaning that our children don’t know the difference between right and wrong or being an indication of bad parenting, it is in fact a completely normal and healthy part of their development.

So rather than give yourself and them a hard time every time they misbehave, try to look at what might be causing their misbehaviour first. For example, are they overtired or overstimulated? Are they in the grip of a powerful emotion such as frustration, anger or sadness that they’ve not yet learnt how to cope with? It’s important to look at what might be causing our kids’ behaviour before we immediately label them as ‘naughty’ and start dishing out consequences. And once we recognise that children sometimes behave in a naughty way, not because they are ‘naughty’ but because they are young and their brains are still in development, then it becomes much easier to respond in a more calm, patient and compassionate way.

Read our article ‘Why it’s normal for kids to be ‘naughty‘, to discover some of the most common causes of naughty behaviour.