{"id":285,"date":"2016-10-04T23:40:07","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T23:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.kiddyzone.co.uk\/news\/?p=285"},"modified":"2016-09-19T23:42:43","modified_gmt":"2016-09-19T23:42:43","slug":"why-children-get-grumpy-after-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kiddyzone.co.uk\/news\/2016\/10\/why-children-get-grumpy-after-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Why children get grumpy after school"},"content":{"rendered":"

When things get hard, we fall apart on the people we feel safest with. Think about it.\u00a0 After a hearing terrible news or during a hard day at work you\u2019re able to keep it all together and not cry. But as soon as you see your safe person (husband, Mum, best friend) you end up a blubbering mess.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kids do the same thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

It takes a great deal of emotional and mental work to follow the rules throughout the day, especially for little kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each time your child refrains from hitting that boy who took his toy,\u00a0holds up her hand and covers her mouth so she doesn\u2019t speak out of turn, or stops himself from running down the hall to break time,\u00a0they have to restrain themselves.\u00a0 This restraint builds and builds, almost like a bubble.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then they walk into their safe place, and POP!\u00a0 They can finally let loose and stop having to restrain themselves. They get to let it all go.<\/span><\/p>\n

Honestly, it\u2019s a good thing that your child feels safe enough to fall apart at home.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, as a parent, that\u2019s hard to deal with.\u00a0 It\u2019s frustrating when you have a child who hasn\u2019t had a tantrum in months come home from school and cry and whine about every single thing.<\/span><\/p>\n

How can you help your child with the transition from home to school so they don\u2019t have to struggle, and you don\u2019t get so frustrated?<\/span><\/p>\n

Greet Without the Questions<\/span><\/p>\n

When you see your child after a long day of school, you want to know about their day.\u00a0 So you ask questions like \u201cHow was your day?\u201d, \u201cDo you have homework?\u201d, \u201cDid you get into trouble?\u201d, \u201cWhat did you do?\u201d, \u201cDid you make friends?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

No one likes to be bombarded with questions or grilled about their day as soon as they walk in the door.<\/span><\/p>\n

By asking lots of questions, you could stress out your child, especially if they had a hard day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of asking them a million and a half questions as soon as you see them, greet them with statements like: \u201cIt\u2019s good to see you again.\u201d and\u00a0\u201cWelcome home\u201d.\u00a0 Then ask, \u201cDo you want to tell me about your day now or at dinner?\u201d \u00a0This gives him the power to decide when to talk.<\/span><\/p>\n

When you ask about their day, keep the questions open-ended:<\/span><\/p>\n