Battling ODD or the Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children

Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD, has been defined as the ongoing pattern of disobedient, hostile, and defiant behavior toward authority figures such as the parents. Those who are afflicted with this ailment appear to be hard-headed and stubborn people. Children tend to be oppositional especially when they are hungry, tired, upset, or stressed. But if this tendency has already gone beyond control, ODD may already be the problem.

You only want the best for your kid; there is no question about that. But just like in any other endeavor, there is no short cut to effective parenting. You want to raise a happy child, and you do not want the Oppositional Defiant Disorder lurking in your child.

The following are recommendations that will help you manage your child's Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

* Promote mutual respect - You do not demand respect. You earn it. One of the biggest mistakes that parents commit is believing that they are to be respected because they are the parents. It does not work that way. Respect begets respect. You have to respect your children before they can find the way to respecting you. The golden rule properly applies here. Do unto your child what you want your child to do unto you.

* Let them understand things with good reasoning - Your growing kids are learning kids. While they are growing, they begin to ask the "whys" and the "hows", and then you will need to teach them clearly the "dos" and the "don'ts." Always take the time to explain these things properly. Remember that kids become less defiant if they understand why they should not be doing this and that.

* Be a good example to your child. You are someone that your kid looks up to. You may not realize it but you are an influential figure to your child. You should be taking advantage of this. Set good examples and there is a great chance that these will be followed by your kids.

* Listen to your kid. As you experience challenges each day, so are your children. They encounter difficulties, questions, happiness, and problems at some point in their lives. They may not tell you that they need a listening ear but really they do. By providing those listening ears, you are giving the sign to your kid that he or she can rely on you.

* Correct their wrongdoing at the earliest time possible. Defiance becomes more difficult to resolve when your kid has already grown up with the habit.

While many parent may face situations that can be vastly different, the tips above should give you a great base for dealing with ODD.


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William offers many new parents his advice, based on becoming a father himself. His post giving tips on getting pregnant can be found at his blog BabyDollStroller.net.