HOW TO CONTROL AGGRESSIVE CHILDREN

Prof. Madhav Ch. Satpathy

In the last issue causes of aggressiveness in children were briefly discussed. In the present essay some remedial procedures are being discussed. If the aggressiveness is due to genes, then the only treatment is medical treatment. But if the aggressiveness is due to environmental influence, then it can be controlled by the following remedial methods. It cannot give full guaranty to fully control the aggressiveness. But to a great extent it can help.

1. If the child is below five years of age, his aggressiveness can bediverted through mechanical toys, such as moving car, moving aeroplane, moving animals, etc. which are moved by springs. Side by side parental care and active participation is essential. While the child is manipulating the toys, parents should express their enjoyments as if they, themselves are playing, never give him toy pistols, this may aggravate his aggressiveness.

2. If the child is above five years and below 10/11 years of age, engage him in household works, give him responsibility of any work, such as sending him to grocery shop to purchase certain items, if there are pets (dogs specially) ask him take the dog for outing. Sometimes such children refuse to work. In that case coax him to do the work and tell him he will be rewarded. Such rewards will be not money, but play materials. To divert aggressiveness in boys, cricket bats may be given by which he will spend his surplus energy playing cricket. Or some other physical activities may be recommended to him.

Besides asking him to do some household works, take him to different places to divert his aggressive tendency.

From a very comprehensive research for many years on juvenile prisoners, it is found that reduction of fully postponement of sugar intake reduce to a great extent juvenile prisoners’ aggressiveness. Similarly reduction of sugar, sweets and any sweet food may help reduce aggressiveness.

In the last issue causes of aggressiveness are discussed. So avoiding such causes aggressiveness may be controlled.

3. Every child has some interests. Please see in which aspect the child has interest. He may have interest in bullying his classmates, he may have interest in lying, stealing etc. If such damaging interest he has, then the best way to stop his interest by advising, by making him understand the ill effect of his interest. If all your attempts fail, then consult a psychiatrist .

And also it is found that some aggressive children have good interest, such as kite flying, games, painting etc. If such an interest is found in him, encourage him, reward him and praise him.

4. Now video games are favourite among children. News are plenty that the influence of such games make children dangerously aggressive. Do not give them such games. More over these children very much like to see adult T.V. serials where cruelty, murder, rapes are very often were shown. This enhances their aggressiveness. So better switch off your T.V. permanently or disconnect cable connection. Better not to keep any T.V. in the house. The difference in teenagers and these children is teenagers have developed some amount of reasoning by which they are not influenced by cruelties but influenced by prone pictures. Whereas these beyond 10/11 years children are generally more influenced by cruelty. News are plenty on these children how they die imitating Shaktimaan, or hanging and even killing their classmates.

This topic is a very long and complicated topic. Only a 2 to 3 procedures are discussed here. The best remedial procedure is parental care. As Napoleon said, “Nothing is impossible”, so eradication of aggressiveness is not impossible. Parents should be over cautions, ever watchful, for their children. Unless parents try themselves to control their children’s aggressiveness, no other person can do it. One precaution is never beat, punish, reprimand such children that may make them more reactionary and more aggressive.