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As a parent, you must be well aware of shyness and separation anxiety in your child. These issues can be even more intense if your child is clingy. While dealing with a clingy child can be very tiresome, what parents often don’t understand is there are certain behaviors on their part that may make their children clingy and co-dependent. As a parent it is your responsibility to make your child independent so that they can navigate adulthood. So, if you are worried about your child being extremely clingy, you shall be aware of these parental traits that might actually be fueling their behavior. Read on to know them all!
- Letting Your Kids Remain Hungry Or Tired
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As a parent, you’ve likely encountered moments when your child appears agitated, anxious, and clings to you tightly. Surprisingly, the root cause can be as simple as hunger and exhaustion. When your child misses meals or lacks sufficient sleep, they might tend to become clingy. It’s crucial to prioritize these basic needs by ensuring timely meals and a consistent bedtime routine, as this creates an environment where your child is less likely to feel distressed. This ultimately reduces clinginess and allows them to relish their own space, nurturing a happier parent-child relationship.
- Making Promises Out Of Embarrassment
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While a clingy child may cause frustration at home, if your child shows clingy behavior in public, that frustration gets doubled with embarrassment. Now say, you are dropping your kid off at daycare and they start showing signs of clinginess. Out of embarrassment, you may promise them to be back within a few hours. However, the reality is entirely different, and you will not be able to keep your promise. This may cause the child to distrust you in the future and give way to more behavioral issues.
Instead of trying to calm your child down with fake promises, consider sitting down with them and making them understand the situation. It may take a while but with patience and practice, you will be able to help your child get used to a certain routine. This will ensure that they gradually become more independent and do not show clingy behavior at the mention of your absence.
- Overindulging Or Ignoring Your Kids
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Parents of clingy children often find it difficult to get hold of a middle ground, behavior-wise. Either they become too indulgent with their kids or they ignore them too much. For instance, it is okay to offer a reward after your child spends a day successfully at the daycare without causing much trouble, but as a parent, you should also be careful to not overindulge in their demands. Parents often feel guilty for leaving their children at daycare, and a lot of them overcompensate by giving into the demands that their kids make. However, this is not at all an advisable practice and may make the children clingy and dependent.
On the other hand, it is also not a good idea to downright ignore your children’s needs. As a parent it may sometimes feel that the best way to deal with your clingy children is to simply ignore them and their demands. However, that may lead to more negative results than positive ones. The right way is to give them attention but not give in to their demands everytime. If they are asking for something, you can hear it out and then explain to them why they are not going to get that. This will gradually help them to be more mature, and the clinginess will also subside eventually.
- Letting The Clingy Behavior Continue Too Long
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Parents often make the mistake of addressing the clingy behavior too late. If you notice signs of clinginess in your child, you should start addressing them immediately. Thinking that the kids are too young and the behavior will rectify itself when they are older is a misconception that only worsens the situation. As adults, it is your responsibility as a parent to take hold of the situation and gradually help your child understand why being clingy is not okay. The longer you put off addressing the issue, the more difficult it will become to make your child become less clingy and more independent.
Parenting can be a tricky journey. While children are bound to show some amount of clingy behavior, it is best to not let the issue get out of hand. Remember that each child is different and, therefore, no fixed set of rules can be applied to make your child less clingy. Spotting the signs early and addressing them right away is the best way to deal with clinginess. With patience and open communication, you will be able to understand why your child is being clingy and work on that.
