如何教育任性的孩子?

 Stubbornness is cute in a toddler but by the time the child reaches school age, unruly behavior is a problem for parents, teachers and others. The first step in correcting the problem is to admit that our own parenting methods probably allowed our child to become unruly and by altering¹ them, we can help our child behave appropriately.

对于一个婴儿来说，倔强是很可爱的，但是当他达到上学年龄时，他的任性行为就成了父母、老师和其他人一个头痛的问题。解决问题的第一步必须承认我们的教育方法可能使孩子变得任性，所以为了改变他们，我们可以帮助孩子行为表现良好。

1 Set clear boundaries and stick to them. Your child needs to know the exact behavior expected of him. Child experts tell us that children actually want boundaries and that once firmly established; most children will respect the rules.

1 设定清楚的规则并遵守它们。你的孩子需要知道对他期望的确切行为。儿童专家告诉我们孩子的确需要一些规则，一旦清楚规定了，大部分孩子就会遵守这些规则。

2 Make very few threats but carry through on those you do make. It's easy to warn a child that he'll go to bed without supper if he doesn't clean his room but when you give in and feed him, you're sending the message that you don't really mean what you say. If you aren't ready to make good on a threat, just don't make it.

2 使用一点点威胁，但对你做出的威胁要实行。如果一个孩子没有打扫房间就不能吃晚饭去睡觉，这样很容易就能警告孩子，但是如你妥协了，给东西他吃，就等于告诉他你不遵守你说的话。如果你没准备成功使用一个威胁，就不要用了。

3 Spend time with your child. You don't have to plan activities for every minute of the day, just taking your child along when you run errands² or allowing him to do his homework at the kitchen table while you cook creates a feeling of togetherness and may reduce unruly behavior that stems³ from insecurity.

3 花时间跟孩子在一起。你不必去策划每一分钟的活动，你出差时带上你的孩子或者你做饭时让他在餐桌上做作业，都可以创造出一种相聚感，还可以减少由于缺乏安全而形成的任性行为。

4 Set reasonable punishments that get results. All children are different and one child may respond quickly if the punishment is grounding while another might need his allowance⁴ reduced. Avoid using chores as a punishment. Children should do chores without pay as part of being in a family.

4 设定合理的惩罚可以起到效果。所有孩子都是不同的，以惩罚为基础，一个孩子可能很快就改正，而另一个孩子则需要减少他的零花钱才能改正。避免把做家务活当成一种惩罚。作为家庭中的一员，孩子应该无义务做家务活。

5 Reward your child's good behavior. Positive reinforcement of carries a strong message to your child. Children who receive praise for good acts try harder to behave.

5 奖励孩子的良好行为。正强化作用会给孩子带来好的影响。那些因表现良好而受到表扬的孩子会更加努力争取更好表现。

6 Schedule your child's time to help her develop responsibility. Children who misbehave often have too much idle⁵ time on their hands. Until your child can behave appropriately by herself, reduce her free time and fill her hours with activities, sports, errands or study work.

6 安排孩子的时间帮助她培养责任感。行为不当的孩子经常由于手头有太多空闲的时间。直到孩子表现良好，才能减少她的空闲时间，让她把时间花在活动、体育运动、跑跑腿或学习工作上。

7 Visit your pediatrician if you think your child's unruly behavior stems from a psychological⁶ problem. Children with Attention Deficit⁷ Disorder⁸ and other behavioral conditions may need medication or diet changes to help them function responsibly.

7 如果你觉得你孩子的任性行为是由心理问题所致，就去看儿科医生。患有注意力缺损症或其他行为问题的儿童需要药物或饮食结构的变化帮助他们治愈。

1 altering   

v.改变，更改( alter的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The eighteenth century sought to refine upon Shakespeare by altering and adapting his plays. 18世纪，人们试图通过改编莎士比亚的作品来超过他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Without altering the selection, you then set the background color to black. 在没有改变选择的情况下，又将背景颜色设置成黑色。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 errands   

n.errand的复数；差使( errand的名词复数 )；差事

参考例句：

• He often runs errands for his grandmother. 他经常给他的祖母跑腿儿。
• I have a few errands to do in the town. 我在城里有些差事要办。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 stems   

n.（花草的）茎( stem的名词复数 )；词干；（高脚酒杯的）脚；烟斗柄v.遏制[阻止]（液体的流动等）( stem的第三人称单数 )；封堵；遏止

参考例句：

• The present wave of strikes stems from discontent among the lower-paid. 当前的罢工浪潮起因于低工资雇员们的不满情绪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Her interest in flowers stems from her childhood in the country. 她对花卉的兴趣产生于她在乡下度过的童年时代。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 allowance   

n.津贴，补贴，零用钱

参考例句：

• My monthly allowance is 50 yuan.我每月的津贴是50元。
• I have to work to earn my allowance.我非得工作挣零用钱。

5 idle   

adj.空闲的，闲置的；无用的；懒散的；v.空费

参考例句：

• Mike doesn't study at all.Instead,he sits idle all day.迈克根本不肯读书，相反地，他终日游手好闲。
• How much trouble in this life is caused by idle talk!生活中有多少麻烦不都是由闲谈引起的么！

6 psychological   

adj.心理的，精神上的

参考例句：

• Work also provides psychological well-being.工作还能使人身心健康。
• The psychological advantage of direct control is impressive.直接控制所收到的心理效果很大。

7 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

8 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。