Many parents might think the reason their child laughs when being told off is to disrespect them, but there is actually a logical reason behind the odd behaviour. Despite what you might believe, it doesn't mean they are disrespecting you or not listening to what you are saying. The reason children react this way is actually much more complicated than you might think, and is all down to science and their growing brain and body.
Why Do Children Laugh When You Tell Them Off?
Parenting is one of the most difficult, but rewarding tasks in the world, and comes with many hiccups along the way. Many couples or single parents will have a different method to their parenting, with some being relaxed while others want to be in tune with their child's emotions. One trained parenting expert, Kelly Medina Enos, who runs Medina Parent Coaching to help other parents navigate their own parenting journeys, explained exactly why some children laugh when being told off.
Kelly said: "This comes up quite a lot that parents think that their child is disrespecting them by laughing at them, which in effect can make the parent react even further. I wanted to explain, never take anything that your children says personally - what they're doing is not because they aren't taking you seriously. What happens when a child experiences that type of threat, a shift in your tone, shift in your facial expression, they know that they have done wrong. The parent goes to discipline, and that is usually where they laugh and they find it funny, I know that because I've been there with my child when I first started gentle parenting. What's happening is your child's stress response is activated, which is a full nervous system response, basically your child is just like oh my goodness I know that I probably shouldn't have done that I don't like how mummy's reacting."
Gentle Parenting Tips: Overcoming the Misconception of Disrespect
Kelly further explained that the laughing is actually the child's nervous system responding to try and calm down not only themselves, but the parent too. She continued: "The body literally feels their nervous system feels like a big grizzly bear is coming for them and what they do in order to calm down - that stress response is a neuro-biological reaction which is to laugh to try and regulate themselves and try and just simmer the whole conversation. It's kind of similar to that person we all have that always laughs at really inappropriate times. I found this piece of information really helped me in my parenting journey because I then realised that actually George [my child] is feeling stressed by the way I am approaching this situation... and it allowed me to hit pause. It also allowed me to go, okay all of these beliefs I was having that he's not taking me seriously, that he's disrespecting me, that he's not listening to what I'm saying, or that he simply just finds it funny and thinks he can do it again and get away with it, was not what was going on. Anyway I hope this helps anybody that's got a giggly toddler when they shouldn't really be giggling."
