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The question “are there bad children?” It is more common than it seems and usually appears in the face of behaviors considered difficult or challenging. In conversation with , the clinical psychologist and specialist in neuropsychology was categorical in her response.
Clinical psychologist and specialist in neuropsychology Fernanda Saab/Photo: Provided
“There is no such thing as a bad child. What exists are children in the process of development, trying to deal with emotions that they do not yet know how to understand or express,” he said.
According to the professional, children are not born knowing how to control impulses, frustrations or intense feelings, and this learning happens over time, mainly through coexistence with adults. “This is something that the child learns, and learns from the adult”, he explained.
Is there a bad child? Psychologist explains why children’s behavior should not be labeled/Photo: Adrian McDonald
The psychologist highlighted that aggressive, impulsive or challenging behaviors do not define who the child is, but rather what they are feeling or experiencing at that moment. “Often, this behavior is the only way the child finds to say: ‘I’m not well’ or ‘I need help’”, he pointed out.
For Fernanda Saab, it is essential to understand that children’s behavior works like a language. “Behavior is language. Before labeling a child, we need to listen to them, even when they don’t use words”, he highlighted.
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She also reinforced that changing adults’ attitudes is crucial in the educational process. “The question that really helps us is not ‘what is wrong with this child?’, but rather ‘what is happening to this child?’” he said. “When the adult changes their perspective, the way they act changes. And when the adult changes, the child also changes.”
In the expert’s opinion, educating goes far beyond correcting behavior. “Educating is not correcting someone who would be ‘bad’. Educating is accompanying, guiding and caring for someone who is still learning to be a person”, he concluded. “Every child who gives work, in fact, has work inside.”
