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What are we talking about when we’re talking about aggression? It can take many different
forms. We’re talking about physical aggression, kids not keeping their hands to themselves,
biting, scratching, kicking or hitting. As they get a little older we’re talking about
verbal aggression.
There might be many different reasons why. It might be that they are told no. You might
have just asked them to do something and they don’t want to do it or they might really
want a toy and they know that if they’re aggressive they might get that toy. I think
the important thing to remember is that these children are not trying to cause harm. They
are frustrated and this is their way of communicating.
If your child is engaging in aggression they need to know that it is not appropriate and
the only way for them to know that is to have consistent consequences. Your child needs
to know what is right and what is wrong. If you tell them beforehand, that they will get
consequences for engaging in aggression, they’re less likely to do it. We want to make sure
they we’re praising good behavior. This way we can see behaviors that we want to see
and we don’t praise those behaviors that we don’t want to see.
I think parents are always worried that their child might be too aggressive. The first thing
to remember is that it’s part of normal development that kids are aggressive. Secondly,
is your child causing harm to themselves or to others? If this is true I would contact
your pediatrician. If there are other adults in your child’s life, teachers or other
parents that are expressing concerns, it might be a reason to contact your pediatrician.