Where the Wild Things Are? They are at My House!

Blog My Young Son is Wild, and I am At My Wits End... Some boys just can't sit still. Some boys have trouble learning in school. Some boys are constantly misbehaving.  My sons are more like Max, from "Where the Wild Things Are." He has alot of energy and loves to play, and sometimes my boys  are wild.

Does that sound like your son? Now in some cases these misbehaviors is reason for legitimate concern. But before extreme circumstances are implemented, I challenge every mom and caregiver to implement one simple strategy to see if you can help curb the childs negative behaviour and encourage the positive behaviors: use outside time!

1. Boys need to release their energy.

Studies have shown that boys actually are able to focus when they have spent their energy first. I know from extensive personal experience that boys also behave better when they have spent their energy too.  I hate to say it, but we are mammals and just like you need to run your dog every day we need to let our kids run too. Dogs who are in training or already trained won't tear up the house if they have been walked/run because they have exhausted their energy. They're simply too tired to cause any damage in the house. The same theory applies to boys. Really this concept applies to girls as well, but especially boys. My boys get plenty of outside time everyday, usually 1-2 hours throughout the day, even in the winter. It is because we give them ample time to "get their energy out" that we rarely have problems of misbehavior or "wild reactions" in the house.

2. Cut tube time!!

Think about your day, is your son Getting a lot of tube time, more then 1 hour of TV, videos or computer? Is he spending an equal amount of time outside or at least an hour outside everyday? If not then consider when IS he getting his energy out? Boys bodies build up their internal energy throughout the day and need to empty their "energy tank." it is only when the tank is empty that a boy can focus on the task at hand. That means school, the doctors office visit or a civilized trip to grandmas house. See our family schedule which includes limited tube time and plenty of outdoor time resulting in a mostly peaceful household. We even do this before school to help have a productive day of learning.

Take for example our trip to the doctors office for joint appointments (or just tagging along) with 2 boys under age 5. A potential nightmare in some cases. Especially when getting shots. So as often as I can we try to either go to the park before the visit, or arrive at least 20 minutes before our appointment. We park and take a brisk walk around the block while playing our neighborhood games like "Who can run the fastest to that tree?"... Or "Ill race you to the red brick house"..."Who can be the frost to pick up 4 sticks?" I make it a point to include running in the games we play. This way the boys are pooped out tired when they get into the doctors office. They'll generally sit in the chair reading one of our take along books or playing with their toy animals while the other boy is being examined. There's still an occasional reminder of "proper behavior" but for the most part it is a pleasant visit.