Many parents eagerly await their child’s developmental milestones, like taking their first steps or their first day of school. School can be a wonderful experience for your little one as they garner more knowledge, get to interact with others and explore their potential. While going to school can be exciting, it can also be new and challenging. These challenges can bring along with them challenging behaviors. It can be hard to know what to do if your child begins acting out at school, working with a trained child therapist can help. 

How Puberty May Affect Your Child’s Behavior

Your child at age 10 (or earlier) is on the verge of a lot of physical changes due to shifting levels of hormones. While the physiological changes that come along with puberty are “normal”, adjusting to these changes may feel anything but! This can be a complicated time for many children, including your own. 

You can help your child first by understanding puberty and how it may affect your child. Each child is unique and will experience these changes at different times. For some it may be early, for others it may be later. This alone can cause insecurity for many adolescents. 

Adjusting to these changes can be confusing and can lead some to act out. It can be hard for adults to process and express their feelings, children often have less coping skills making it even more difficult. Your normally happy child may begin to be more irritable or even resentful. Many adolescents can experience sadness, worry, anxiety, irritability, shame and uncertainty during this stage of development. Some may turn inward and isolate, others may act out in anger and frustration. 

Earning and Losing the Label

Misbehaving or acting out in school are among the last things you want for your child entering puberty. Around this age, they are more sociable and eager to have friends. Being avoided in school because of a tendency to break rules or get into trouble can make having good friends doubly difficult. This can make any student unhappy in school, and they may continue acting out, skip school, become frustrated with their peers and mentors, and ultimately fail to perform their best.

To help your child, it can be important that you understand how your child is perceived in school. How are they acting out? Are they rude or disruptive? Do they distract their classmates or are they breaking rules? Do they hurt others verbally or physically? 

Once you know more about what is going on you can begin to make a plan to help. Watching your child struggle can be terrifying, know that help is available. You aren’t alone in this. 

Starting Off Right with the Right Assistance

If your child is acting out in school you may be feeling overwhelmed and not know what to do next. Sometimes our parenting methods don’t work like they used to and we need new approaches to manage difficult behaviors. 

A skilled child therapist will be able to assess what is going on for your child and provide support to the both of you. In counseling your child can learn new coping skills and ways to handle distress. You can also receive support during these difficult times and develop new skills yourself. Counseling can help everyone. 

Carolina Counseling Services – Sanford, NC contracts with knowledgeable child counselors. Call CCS today to find the therapist that is right for you and your child. Online counseling sessions are available!

Related Articles:

• How Counseling Helps Children Resolve Behavior Problems
• Childhood Impulsivity: Recognizing Signs and Seeking Support