Part two of Dealing with Inappropriate Behavior

Another example of a child exhibiting inappropriate behavior: Your family is seated at the dinner table and your son passes gas. You laugh it off. Some children will leave it like that and other children…will want more attention. They will try to fart again or will do something else, like make a fart noise with their armpit. If you do not want your child to make such an inappropriate noise then do not laugh when they first accidentally do it. Say something like, “Remember to say excuse me when you pass wind (gas) in front of people.” I believe it is not fair to get angry with a child if you have not given them limitations on certain behaviors. Such as, your husband likes to join in with your son in armpit (fart) wars. Your husband has never bothered to explain to the boy, just because he hasn’t, situations in which he should not do this. Then one day your husband’s boss comes over and your son runs in and does an armpit fart. Your husband should not lose it and yell, “That’s inappropriate behavior!” The behavior in itself was not inappropriate, the situation was. Your husband should say, “We don’t do this in front of guests, son.” Later he should tell his son when and where he can do such behavior. I like how my own brother (even white collar workers do this) reminds his sons while they are having such fun that this is something that is not to be done in front of their mom or other guests. It would not be polite. Boy fun, like having burping contests, can do done if the child knows when and where it is okay and not okay.