Why Are Children Impulsive? How Should Parents Handle It?

Why Are children Impulsive? How Should Parents Handle It?

Emotional excitement and impulsive behavior in humans are, from a physiological standpoint, a stress response. Research has shown that in emotionally excited situations, the adrenal glands produce cortisol as a stress response, and the body needs cortisol to maintain normal physiological functions under mental pressure. Studies have also found that long-term exposure to stress hormones can have adverse effects on the hippocampus in the brain, which is involved in memory and cognition. Children with high levels of stress hormone cortisol are closely related to depression, obesity, heart attacks, and other health problems, while children with low cortisol levels are also at potential risk, exhibiting behaviors such as crying, restlessness, anxiety, and delayed physical development in response to psychological stress.

The reasons why children are impulsive are as follows: The excitatory and inhibitory processes in the nervous system of young children are not fully developed, with excitatory processes being dominant, leading to impulsive behavior. Children's emotions are unstable, and they cannot consciously control and regulate their emotions. Some children develop irritable personalities due to frequent beatings and scolding by their parents, resulting in impulsive behaviors. Others may show disobedience and severe rebelliousness, acting impulsively without considering the consequences. These phenomena may be indicative of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and should be taken seriously by parents.

Emotions are neither good nor bad; each emotion has its significance. Children may not be able to express their emotions accurately in words, making them prone to anxiety. If emotions are often suppressed, it can be challenging for children to develop good emotional management abilities. Many adults also struggle to express emotions, resorting to tantrums or passive-aggressive behavior to cope. Parents should first acknowledge and accept their children's emotions and then help them recognize and express these emotions with warmth. When their emotions are accepted, children often find their own ways to solve problems.

For impulsive children, parents should use appropriate methods to deal with them. For example:

• Natural fading method: Parents can temporarily ignore the behavior and let the child handle it on their own.

• Cold treatment method: When a child is impulsive and difficult to persuade in the moment, parents can adopt cold treatment and provide reasoning and education after the incident has passed.

• Attention diversion method: For example, when two children cry while fighting over a toy, parents can divert their attention with another toy or game, which can suppress the child's impulsivity.

For children with excessive behaviors, receiving psychological and behavioral interventions can help relieve psychological stress. One method is to train teachers in schools to identify and handle children's emotional imbalances and then provide help to affected children. Practice has shown that with the help of adults, children can learn methods to cope with mental stress. As the nervous system matures and psychological level improves, along with proper education from adults, children's self-control gradually develops, leading to a reduction in impulsive behavior.

Children who are impulsive can also benefit from dietary adjustments. For children who are frequently impulsive, they can be given foods rich in aspartic acid, such as meat, beans, asparagus, pears, and peaches. Evidence shows that certain fish, walnuts, beans, flaxseed oil, olive oil, or sunflower seed oil contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for stabilizing emotions. Fresh vegetables (purple cabbage, cauliflower, celery, oilseed rape, radish, and bok choy), fruits, and algae are helpful in relieving stress. Avoid giving children carbonated drinks; excessive consumption of sweet carbonated drinks depletes vitamin B1 in the body, affecting the child's emotional stability. Calcium is a natural stress reliever, and milk and yogurt are rich sources of calcium that should be given to children appropriately. B-complex vitamins such as vitamin B1, B6, and B12 can relieve stress and are the vitamins that children are most likely to be deficient in. If necessary, they can be supplemented in moderation.