AT HOME
Bad behaviour is not acceptable but everyone will do jungle behaviour at some time in their life; a line gets crossed.
Making Sense of Emotions and Behaviour at Home
When children can’t handle big emotions, their instincts take over. It’s the call of the wild that says: If in doubt, come out fighting! Without thinking, they release their inner monkey. Our children go into the jungle and sometimes we fell like we’re swinging through the trees with them.
Dr Brenda Heyworth is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who’s shaped her knowledge and experience into a parenting approach that makes sense.
She’s developed a ‘Jungle’ analogy for understanding the emotions and behaviour of children and adolescents. Most importantly, it includes practical strategies to deal with the fights at home, so that everyone can get to the ‘fresh start’.
What kind of fighting behaviour have YOU seen?
- Does your child argue with you about every little detail while she tries to wrap you up with your own words?
- If she doesn’t like your answer, will she pout and cry until you feel sorry for her and change your mind?
- Do your sons argue and insult each other, until one of them finally explodes, turning anger into fisticuffs, screaming and tears?
- Do they set emotional traps like ‘It’s not fair! He’s always been your favourite’?
- Does your teenager try shock you with a choice swear word then stomp off and slam her bedroom door?
- Is your daughter perfectly behaved at school (like butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth) then lets it all loose once she’s home, screaming like a banshee?
- Does your ten year-old son shout at you loud enough to be heard from streets away, then throw your favourite vase at the floor before kicking a hole in the wall?
THAT’S JUNGLE!
Learn how to tell when your children are in the jungle and how to stay out of it yourself!
Resources for Parents, Carers & Grandparents
If you’re reading this page, it means you understand just how complicated parenting can be. You know the stakes are high and you want to get it right, but there’s no clear method that’s accepted as the best way. So which advice do you follow?
To make a difference, Dr Heyworth understands that advice has to be practical. Strategies need to fit with the chaos and complicated details of every day life. From 30 years’ working as doctor, she has the knowledge and the experience to understand which approach to use when.
In family life (and for children with conditions), this is the detail that really matters!
If you’d like to learn more, see below for the steps to purchase a copy of her book, or ask Dr Heyworth to come and speak at an event for your local group.
