Winning A Child's Attention

Q. My child gets so engrossed in TV or the mobile when he’s watching rhymes or some video games, when we call him he does not respond or even listen. What do I do?

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Dear parent,

This does not happen with only kids. It is also with adults. Many of us get so engrossed with TV and our mobiles that we too behave like that with our family members. Don’t you think so?

It’s very simple. Our children are our followers. Where do you think they learnt this art from? None other than us or our family members. All we need to do is model the right behavior to our children.

We first need to be a good role model to our children. Let it be the mother or father. Please do the right thing in front of our kids.

I have always practiced this with my children. I will tell them, “Mummy will only call you once, and if you do not respond I will not call you anymore.” And be congruent with what you say. It cannot be once in awhile and sometimes there’s some changes to this.

If the child does not respond to you, switch off the TV, take away the mobile or tablet and reprimand them for not listening to you with your emotions. Use “love” instead of “anger”. Say that how much you missed the hug or kiss from your child for an example. Practice this until it becomes a part of your family lifestyle. You can even do that with your spouse. Try it!