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When you have children, you know that there are days when they will be more difficult than others. If we can think that their behavior is influenced by their mood and their emotions, there would actually be one day in the week when children are more exasperating than the others. Here’s which one, according to American scientists.
Having children is never easy. In addition to what parental duty entails, we also have to deal with the mood and emotions of our dear little ones, which are sometimes overflowing. According to American scientists, there is one day in the week when children are more difficult than others.
A study that analyzes children’s behavior at school
Researchers from the Universities of Pennsylvania and Texas studied the behavior of around sixty children aged three to six years old, enrolled in five kindergarten classes. To do this, they equipped the children with accelerometers, capable of capturing the children’s movements and transcribing their impulsiveness, rather than relying on the teachers’ feelings, which are more subjective.
By analyzing the results, the researchers noted that the more the week progressed, the less able the children were to contain themselves. They were more agitated and had more difficulty regulating their emotions. According to the lead author of this work, Dr. Andrew Koepp, “When a child has difficulty maintaining attention or sitting still, it disrupts their learning and can disrupt the classroom.”
Friday, a decompression valve after the week
Following the logic of scientists, we easily understand that Friday will therefore be the day of the week when children will be the most difficult and the most agitated. For what ? Because they have exhausted their self-regulatory resources, allowing them to control their emotions. As children, their abilities from this point of view are also weaker than those of adults. It’s no surprise that Friday evening is a particularly complicated end to the day for parents.
What can we do to avoid this?
What is the role of parents when faced with children who are emotionally exhausted from their week, who bicker or cry easily? The authors of this work believe that parents must “help children develop skills to control their attention and behavior”. For example, limit access to screens and favor calmer activities such as reading or board games. As for teachers, researchers invite them to learn to recognize and target the moments when children will be most receptive to adapt their teaching.
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