When Your Child Hits Your Other Child

March 21, 2024

When Your Child Hits Your Other Child

 

 

“What should I do when one child hits my other child?” ⠀⠀ 

👉🏻When you have a child who hits/bites/kicks and another child who has been hurt and you approach the situation after it has already happened, it is important to start with the child who has been hurt. ⠀⠀ 
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💕Tell the child who did the hurting that you see them and that you will talk with them in a minute. 
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❤️This shows the child who is hurt, the outcome of their actions (causing pain to someone else). ⠀⠀ 
 
❤️Second, it shows the child who is hurt that their pain matters to you and that you see them. ⠀ 
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❤️Third, it slows you down enough so that, in the moment, you don’t make choices, which don’t align with your values of how you are going to discipline. ⠀⠀ 
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👉🏻As you slow down to respond to your hurting child, you are allowing your brain time to calm down so that you can access your own logical thinking again and approach the child who was hitting from a place of curiosity and calm. ⠀⠀ 
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❤️Once you have spent a few moments with your hurting child, you can then go to the child who hit and with curiosity try and understand what happened and what your child may need to learn so that they can get their needs met in a way that doesn’t involve hitting! ⠀ 
 
You could narrate what happened, focus on repairing the relationship, and stay curious about what skills your child may need to learn or work on for the future. 
 
This is a simplification of what happens in these moments, but we hope you find this helpful. ⠀⠀ 
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Do you have sibling fights in your home?