8 Ways to Build Confidence & Stop Misbehavior (Sibling Fights, Lying, & More) Part 1 - Calm Parenting Podcast

Summary

Calm Parenting Podcast - Episode Summary

Title: 8 Ways to Build Confidence & Stop Misbehavior (Sibling Fights, Lying, & More) Part 1
Host: Kirk Martin
Release Date: November 17, 2024

Introduction

In this compelling first part of an eight-part series, Kirk Martin, founder of Celebrate Calm, delves into effective strategies for building children's confidence and curbing misbehavior such as sibling fights, lying, and defiance. Drawing from his extensive experience with over 1,500 children, including those with ADHD, OCD, ODD, and ASD, Martin provides practical, actionable insights aimed at transforming challenging parenting dynamics into harmonious relationships.

Understanding the Root Cause: Confidence Issues

Martin opens the discussion by addressing the common misconception that challenging behaviors in children are indicative of deeper character flaws. Instead, he identifies a fundamental lack of confidence as the primary driver behind actions like aggression, lying, and manipulation.

Kirk Martin (01:20): "If I don't feel good about myself... I will likely lash out at my good siblings so that I feel better about myself."

He emphasizes that these behaviors are protective mechanisms children use to shield their fragile self-esteem, often leading to long-term negative consequences in personal relationships and career success if left unaddressed.

Strategy 1: Accept Your Kids as They Are

Martin strongly advocates for unconditional acceptance of children, regardless of their differences and unique challenges. He warns against imposing parental expectations that may not align with a child's inherent strengths and interests.

Kirk Martin (05:15): "Stop with your effing agenda... Let go of your agenda that drives you to push what you think they should focus on."

By relinquishing control and genuinely listening to children, parents can create a supportive environment where children feel understood and valued, fostering their self-worth and reducing rebellious behavior.

Strategy 2: Tell Your Kids the Truth - Prioritize What's Important

In this segment, Martin encourages parents to have honest conversations with their children about the relevance of certain school activities and societal expectations. He highlights how many academic requirements are arbitrary and not directly applicable to real-world success.

Kirk Martin (09:40): "School is only for childhood. But you're made for the adult world and you're going to spend most of your life in the adult world."

By aligning school efforts with a child’s natural strengths and future aspirations, parents can alleviate feelings of inadequacy and disengagement, thereby enhancing their child's motivation and self-confidence.

Strategy 3: Affirm Your Kids with Specifics

Positive reinforcement is crucial, especially for strong-willed children who may become desensitized to generic praise. Martin advises parents to offer specific, sincere affirmations that acknowledge precise behaviors and achievements.

Kirk Martin (12:05): "Hey, I noticed you lost at that board game earlier and I heard you start to complain, but then you caught yourself and you said good game to your brother. A lot of adults can't even do that. Proud of you."

These targeted affirmations validate a child’s efforts and encourage the continuation of positive behaviors, reinforcing their sense of competence and fostering a strong parent-child bond.

Strategy 4: Use Their Particular Gifts to Help You

Recognizing and utilizing a child’s unique talents can transform potential areas of conflict into opportunities for collaboration and personal growth. Martin shares his personal experience of engaging his son’s interest in video games to develop his problem-solving and leadership skills.

Kirk Martin (15:30): "I would occasionally say this. Hey Case, I could really use your problem-solving help with a situation this morning."

Involving children in meaningful tasks that leverage their strengths not only boosts their confidence but also strengthens their sense of responsibility and belonging within the family structure.

Conclusion

Kirk Martin wraps up the episode by urging parents to implement these four strategies consistently over the coming weeks. He emphasizes that fostering a child’s confidence through acceptance, honesty, specific affirmations, and utilizing their strengths can significantly reduce misbehavior and improve familial relationships. Martin teases the next episode, promising four additional strategies, including a unique motivational technique involving chicken nuggets.

Kirk Martin (16:00): "In the next episode, I'll give you an absolute killer idea... how you can use chicken nuggets to motivate your kids."

He encourages parents to stay committed to these practices, assuring them that the investment in their child’s emotional well-being will yield lasting positive outcomes.

Key Takeaways

Confidence as a Foundation: Misbehavior often stems from low self-esteem rather than inherent badness.
Unconditional Acceptance: Embracing children’s unique traits fosters a supportive environment.
Honest Conversations: Clarifying what truly matters can align child behavior with real-world applicability.
Specific Positive Reinforcement: Targeted praise enhances self-worth and encourages positive actions.
Leveraging Strengths: Utilizing a child’s natural talents can transform negative behaviors into constructive contributions.

By following Kirk Martin's guidance, parents can cultivate a nurturing atmosphere that builds confidence, minimizes conflict, and promotes harmonious family dynamics. Stay tuned for part two of this insightful series, where Martin will unveil additional strategies to further empower both parents and children.

Transcript

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Kirk Martin (1:20)

So do you have a child who picks on or even lashes out at their siblings? Kids who lie and won't admit when they do? How about a child who makes excuses, bosses other people around or cheats or quits when playing games? Some of your kids may act silly or say inappropriate things in class or just make things up. You might be tempted to think that this child is a sociopath, a jerk and fear he or she will never be successful in life. But these are very common traits with our kids and all of these qualities have the the same route. So on today's episode of the Calm Parenting Podcast, I'm going to show you the root of these behaviors and four of eight ways to change this dynamic in this two part series. So welcome. This is Kirk Martin, founder of Celebrate Calm. You can find us@celebratecolm.com if you go there. We now have our biggest sale of the year going on on all of our programs. Wahoo. So when we had 1500 kids in our home I I would notice all the behaviors we talk about on this podcast. Kids who appear thin skinned and would always make excuses rather than just owning their behavior. We called many of these kids seven uppers because instead of trying to one up other kids they had to go to the extreme. Oh yeah, you have five of these. I have 150 of these at my house and forget about playing games with them. They change the rules of the game, cheat or quit, and they can be pretty brutal verbally and even physically with their siblings. And at first I was overwhelmed and thought, man, we have a lot of issues to work on with these kids. But as I dug under the surface, I realized that the root was a lack of confidence, a lack of feeling good about their place in the world. So think about this. If I don't feel good about myself, if I'm kind of always in trouble, either at home or in school, always on red on the behavior chart, if school is harder for me than my siblings or classmates so that I internalize that I'm stupid or I'm the bad kid, I will likely lash out at my good siblings so that I feel better about myself. Or it's just an avenue for resentment. I'll make up things, lie or act silly in class so that other kids will like me or. Or think I'm cool. I'll never admit that I'm wrong or lost a game, because if I admit I lost a game, that makes me a loser. And see, all these things are about protecting my fragile ego or sense of self. It's a confidence issue. It also means, and this is what I really need you to watch out for. Many of these kids grow into adulthood feeling like they're never good enough, that there's something wrong with them because they don't fit in, or because they could never quite live up to the supposed standards that were expected by everyone, of everyone. So they live with this kind of silent but always present feeling that says, you're not good enough. You'll never really be good enough. You're different, you're less than. You don't fit in. And that can have devastating effects on their personal relationships, career advancement, and just happiness and contentment in life. It can lead to some dire consequences. But we can counter this negativity and build your child's confidence in practical ways. So I'm going to go through four different ways on this episode and, and then on the next episode, four more ways. And the final way is going to be like a killer idea that I love. And I am waiting for the end because it all builds toward that. So, number one, accept your kids as they are. And this is going to rub you the wrong way and challenge you. But it's critically important. You have kids who are different. They value different things than you do. They don't care about the things you care about most. And look, if you continue to try to push your weight on these Kids, it just won't work. Remember one of our phrases is when we step back, it gives our kids space to step up. Because as long as you're trying to kind of micromanage and control them, they're not really being responsible for themselves. And see, think about this, this is the hard part for you as a good parent. All these things that you want, like good study skills, trying your hardest, having lots of friends, playing sports, starting the day with a win by making your be, being well rounded, taking honors classes, all those things have served you well in life. They have led to you being successful and happy. And so naturally you become a parent and think, well, this is what I did to be happy and successful and this is what everybody else focuses on, so I shall as well. And then you have a strong willed child, a neurodivergent child, child on the spectrum and they simply don't care about these things and they are usually not good at these things. But you and I keep pressing and forcing and trying to convince them to care about these things. You bribe, threaten, lecture, wring your hands over it, email me at midnight about it and nothing ever works. So I'm going to ask you to do something for the next week. Stop. Just stop with your sorry for this, but stop with your effing agenda. And I say it like that because I want there to be some intensity around this, to know this isn't like, well, you should really just try this. No, you have to do this. Let go of your effing agenda that drives you, that compels you to push and push and what you think they should focus on instead for the next week, listen to your child. And I mean really listen so you hear, Observe them, slow down, let go of your anxiety about their future and your control issues over how you think they should do things and the peer pressure and the embarrassment you feel because your child isn't living up to your and societal expectations and there will be embarrassment. And that's your issue because you're letting your own immaturity determine how you parent your child. And I'm not saying that, you know, I don't do guilt or manipulation, but I really want you to get to the root of this, inside of it. Let go of that instead. Look, instead of just living inside your brain and your heart and all of that anxiety there, get inside your child's head and heart. Try to understand how they see and view the world. Because if your child could verbalize what he or she is feeling, it might sound something like this. Mom, dad, you're not effing listening to me. I have told you it is not the way my brain works. It isn't. It's not something that I value or want to do. And you keep putting pressure on me to do it in subtle and overt ways. And it makes me feel angry and misunderstood and want to do the opposite. It continually makes me feel like a failure and like I can never please you. Look, do you know how much damage this does to continually try to make someone fit into a personality or way of life that's not meant for or good for them? It's devastating. It always feels like you're doing something wrong. It makes you feel misunderstood and it makes it worse when you're compared to a good sibling. Right? And it is a source of anger and frustration in many of your kids. And to be quite honest, I meet kids and young men and women in their 20s and 30s and look, some of you are like this because. Because this is what your parents did to you. And so all of this frustration and anger will come out. And we spend so much of their lives trying to change them instead of accepting them as they are, instead of helping them navigate the path they are supposed to take. And they're going to take it no matter how much you lecture, how much you bribe, convince or threaten. Look, you've done it your way and you've tried it so hard and nothing's worked and it won't work. So dig into this. Really give some thought to this and accept your kids as who they are. Number two, tell your kids the truth. Give them perspective about what's important and what's not. See, we kind of do this dance in life around these issues during their entire childhood. And we play this game to see if we can somehow win at it. Because here's the truth. We know that much of what is required in school is simply arbitrary and it is not necessary for success in life. This is not a knock against teachers. It is just the system. When you have a strong willed child, you are going to have to wrestle with these ideas. Here are a few examples. To me, here's what's arbitrary. Sitting still in class for seven hours a day. You never ever, ever have to do that. After you get out of school. Listening to someone talk about things you're not interested in. You don't have to do that every day except for your spouse. Reading books you don't care about and then writing essays on it. That's not real life. In my 20 years in the corporate world, I chose jobs in industries that I was interested in. And now. I didn't always love my job, but at least I was in an industry or had a focus that I cared about. Here's another one. Memorizing information for a test and then forgetting the information. That is basically what grades are based on. I never had to memorize information in the corporate world. I had to analyze information. Think about it. I had to present my ideas in a proportional persuasive way. But that is 100% diametrically opposed to just memorizing information. How about this one? Being grouped only with kids your own age? It's arbitrary. You don't do that. Nobody here works in a company with only 34 year olds. So I'm not saying these things aren't valuable, but we can learn from those things. But these are not skills that are ever replicated after kids graduate and go into the real world. And yet that's what we focus on their entire childhood. Can you see how that would be devastating to many of your kids who aren't naturally good at this? And we have this little dance where we kind of play like it really is important because we don't want to upset the school and we want to kind of fall in line and have our kids go through the motions. So that gives an appearance that they'll be successful in life. But it's devastating for many of these kids. I never had to do most of those things in the corporate world. And yet we treat it like it's essential and important. And our kids are not naturally good at these things. But it's all that most parents and teachers focus on. Very few people ever have the courage or the guts to simply be honest with these things with your kids. It's a broken system that works really well for neurotypical kids but is extremely difficult and even damaging for kids with brains. With kids. For kids with brains like they have. Right. So help your kids distinguish between what is important and what's not. Now here's an example. Some of the talks I had with our son. Look, you're going to naturally struggle in school because success in school requires short term memory skills in order to do well on tests. But you naturally struggle with that and that's okay because you have excellent strategic and critical thinking skills. And you can see patterns. Now those are the qualities that you will use and get paid for throughout your entire life because that's what companies value. Look, you're slower at doing your assignments, but that's because you're a deeper thinker. You look for different ways to do Things. Well, school won't reward you for that, but life and companies will. So don't ever think you're stupid because you struggle in school with remembering things you don't care about and because you work a little bit more slowly. School is only for childhood. But you're made for the adult world and you're going to spend most of your life in the adult world world. And you've probably noticed this because you feel more comfortable around and connect well with older people. But you struggle with kids your own age and that's natural. Doesn't mean there's something wrong with you. You just don't find kids interesting. And that's hard because you're a kid grouped with only kids your own age. But most of your life will be spent with adults doing adult things. And you crush it when you do adult things. See, I wish someone had told me that when I was a kid so I didn't feel so awkward, like I was failing at childhood. And you can add to that all the ones you want, right? Like sitting still in school. Well, your kids are going going to grow up and have jobs that they will choose. Jobs in which they can move a lot all the time. Someone in sales. You're not sitting in a corporate office in a desk the whole time. So have those talks with your kids and I know you are going to worry. Well, if I tell them that, does that mean they're just going to shut down in school? Well, it's not like they're really working that hard at it anyway. And we're going to get to how to motivate them in school anyway. But have that talk give them honest perspective.