If you’ve noticed your older kid has been showing signs of being spoiled, it’s not too late to put the kibosh on his attitude. Borba describes behavior as “womb to tomb,” which means it can always change for the better . . . just not overnight.
Depending on the child it’s important to focus on one unsavory behavior at a time, rather than tackling all of them at once. For example, start with their eye-rolling before trying to correct the back talk in the same afternoon.
“Wherever you're at on the spectrum, go down the ladder one step at a time,” suggests Borba. “In a calm moment be clear and say: "’This behavior isn’t acceptable anymore. I see you doing it, let's talk about it, and then let's talk out what's going to happen.’"
And if you’re sitting there thinking to yourself that being calm is easier said than done, you’re not wrong — especially once they get a little older. The key is consistency. “Chances are he's already figured out it works, and he’s been engaging in that behavior for 10 years and will initially think: "’Ah, they're not going to do anything about it,’" explains Borba. “What you've got to do is draw your line in the sand of what’s not going to be tolerated anymore and stay consistent.”
