Shaping Mathew’s Behavior with Ecological Theory

In the film, super nanny works on the problems which Mathew .His has developed habit which he has got used to. Mathew has been a problem to his parents, and has had many problems which include being stubborn, intolerant, violent and disrespectful. Children can be stubborn if not controlled at an early age. However, in the western countries, corporal punishment is not authorized, and is against the children rights. Children are said to be fragile, and therefore exposing them to hard punishments such as corporal punishment may harm them. In addition, stubborn children are prone to mistakes and have to be active so as to achieve a certain target in their lives. Therefore, sometimes it is usually normal for children to have certain behaviors, which are not attractive. Mathew seems to be so stubborn that he even refuses to recognize his father. Though he lives in the same house with his parents, Mathew seems to have got used to the violent behavior, and not easy to control. Super nanny however shows a character that is different from that of Mathew’s mother. Super nanny has a way of communicating with Mathew, which makes Mathew calm and respectful. However, it is normal for children to get used to their mothers, and this may lead to disrespect.

Super nanny communicates with Mathew and the two seem to be in good terms. It is not that Mathew is too stubborn to be controlled (Sokol-Katz, Dunham & Zimmerman, 2007). He behaves strangely because his parents do not take the right measures whenever he reacts. Super nanny handles children with love. She knows to use sweet language and becomes tough whenever the situation requires one to be tough. Not all time that b parents are required to be soft to their children. Sometimes, it calls for toughness. The good ways to handle such children according to the nanny include the following:

Control their movements whenever possible, and do not allow them to do what they want to do to a point of harming one another, or interfering with the arrangements of the house. In addition, they should be limited to what to talk to their parents. Children are not to be given all the freedom they require as they grow (Rimm-Kaufman La Paro, Downer & Pianta, 2005). Beating or throwing things at parents or other children is a form of indiscipline. Children like Mathew are dangerous and should not be left out with other children. In the film, Mathew holds up a knife towards his brother. This is terrible and scaring enough to make other children get rid of him.

Analyzing the Impact on Mathew’s Health, Well-being, Development, and Learning

Mathew has lost focus on his studies. He has the ability to do what he wants to do. Nobody can stop him in the house, and even his mother needs to struggle him away and lock him in a room, so as to avoid being frustrated by his behavior (Axinn & Thornton, 2003). However, nobody stays with peace even when Mathew is locked up in that room. Mathew shouts out and makes other strange voices which frustrate the mother, father and the siblings. Though it is not good to lock up such a child in a private room, his habits forces his mother to lock him up.The child may think that the parents are tired of him, and even decide to commit suicide, and even course more damage in the room.

Two environments seem to be dangerous for Mathew. First, place is at home and second, at the gym. Mathew is violent, and does not know whether some of the items at home can harm him. For example, he throws dangerous things at his mother, and the siblings. Secondly he is seen trying to bang the oven, not knowing that ovens are powered by electricity. Dangers like electric shocks, hits by rods and stones which he throws at people and even making such loud noises could be harmful to Mathew. Mathew cannot stay all by himself and needs to be closely supervised to make sure that he is not interfering with the peace of the rest of the people in the compound. The siblings also seem to find ways to get rid of him since he is dangerous (Sternberg, Lamb, Guterman & Abbott, 2003). Therefore, Mathew has no company to play with. As we are aware that play is essential and important to all children, Mathew could have been brighter and could have dropped his habit if he was exposed to play. Play enlightens the face of a child and makes him or her bright. However, staying gloomy all through makes a child dull and inactive all trough. An inactive child may be prone to diseases and may also lose appetite. In the film, we see Mathew refusing to eat even after the mother served him with some delicious food. At a glance, one can conclude that Mathew is weak, and could have been stronger if he ate food, and get rid of his bad habits.

In the gym, Mathew seems to be violent to other children, and wants everything to him. He is like a bully in his young age, and a young boss commanding his salves. This habit is intolerable. It becomes annoying when trying to interact with visitors and friends in a foreign environment. It may seem to the friends as if it ids the fault of the parents, but it is actually not the fault of the parents. Some children like Mathew just developed the habit, and it became part of him (Bauer, Quas, & Boyce, 2002). However, it is not possible for the parents or the friends to control him. It is however embarrassing in an environment such as in a gym, where everybody is busy doing their exercises. It is dangerous to be in such environment since nobody is able to read his mind and know what he is planning to do. Mathew can therefore decide to collect sharp objects in the gym and decide to throw them to the people. In addition, he can also break the windows, or start beating up other children. These are not less to the parents, since they must pay for all these damages (Marchand, Hock & Widaman, 2002). Damages caused by a child intentionally may force the parents to punish the child, or become violent. However, Mathew’s parents seem to be understanding, since they say that Mathew started behaving strangely when he was one. They tried to control him but all in vain. They decided to let him be, but his habit seemed to be getting worse day after day.

Identifying Risk and Protective Factors in Mathew’s Environment

Apart from these two environments, the school environment could also be dangerous to Mathew. Mathew should not be left out with the rest of the children, since he will be violent on them. Apart from this Mathew may collect their books and throw them away, or rather run away with their toys (Bowes, Arseneault, Maughan, Taylor, Caspi & Moffitt, 2009). It is therefore the responsibility of the teachers to pay close attention to Mathew as he interacts with the rest of the children at school.

These habits have affected Mathew negatively. First, it terms of health, Mathew is not doing well. His health seems to be bad, since his feeding habits are poor (Pettit & Bates, 2009). He also seems to be stressed up, and unable to relax. Mathew only relaxes when he goes to sleep. He cannot however have a good health if he does not take is meals as required. He should take their meals a day. The three meals are essential to him since he has to get the strength to attend to his daily routine. However, Mathew cannot eat whenever he does not feel like (Jouriles Norwood, McDonald, Vincent & Mahoney, 2006). He eats on demand, and whenever he feels like eating. Food is essential to his body, since he is still growing up. Food is import since it enhances growth, and also contains all the nutrients required by the body for either growth or fighting against diseases. Food also provides strength to the body, thus giving people energy, which is the ability to do work.

Mathew is therefore weak and prone to diseases. His thinking capacity is low, and cannot even perform well at school (Fearon, Bakermans?Kranenburg, Van IJzendoorn, Lapsley, & Roisman,  2010). Since his brain is filled with violent, he cannot concentrate on his studies, and is likely to fail in all the examinations. Mathew does not even understand that there is something wrong with him. To him, everything that comes his way, either good or bad, is part and parcel of his daily life. However, Mathew finds it difficult to make friends. Since he is violent, children run away from him, and opt to play all by themselves. Mathew therefore feels lonely and neglected, and may suffer from depression if not controlled.

Super nanny seems to have a way to solve the issue that is disturbing Mathew. She is an experienced woman who has successfully dealt with these issues. According to supper nanny, children like Mathew should not be forced to do what is right, and leave what is wrong. Super nanny says that handling such a child is simple, and parents can do so by learning the dos and don’ts of a child. For example, if Mathew loves playing football in the afternoon, the mother should tell mike to perform his duties in the morning, so as to get the permit go out playing with friends. If Mathew refuses to do his duties, then the mother has the right to keep Mathew locked up at home and finish his duties (Kuczynski, Kochanska, Radke-Yarrow, M., & Girnius-Brown, 2007). This is a way of disciplining a child. Without doubt, Mathew will be disciplined and will finish all his duties before time in the following day so as to avoid being embarrassed by his mother.

The Implications for Educators in a Positive Context for Mathew

Super nanny also teaches taught Mathew’s mother on the way to handle Mathew when h starts reacting in a violent manner. According to supper nanny, Mathew should be exposed to other children who are older than him. He would be punished by this children whenever he does something wrong to them (Malmberget& Flouri, 2011). These children will also neglect him and refuse to play with him. By doing this, Mathew will find it difficult to cope with such a situation. He would actually choose to let go his violent habit and join his friends to play.

Being violent to parents is another special case that supper nanny advices the mother to avoid at the first place. Beating up a parent or making noise to avoid communication is a bad habit and should be avoided. Super nanny told Mathews mother to always be keen on when communicating to Mathew. He should not just communicate at any time she wishes to tell him something. In the first place, mother should know when Mathew is happy and in the moods of being talked to. However, some behaviors such as shouting at a parent are intolerable (Raver, Jones, Li-Grining, Zhai, Metzger, & Solomon, 2009). Sometimes, corporal punishment should be applied, though not frequently. He child should know that parents have the authority and ability to control them. It is therefore their duty to remain responsible and obedient, and should accept anything including being punished since bad habit determines the character of the people around the child.

Mathew’s parents should also find ways of drawing attention. May be Mathew could be reacting in such a bad way because he lacks attention. Ways of drawing a child’s attention include: buying toys and gifts for the child at different occasions as surprise and giving him responsibilities. Let the child feel accepted and lived in the homestead (Dobbs & Arnold, 2009). He should be held responsible at home and at school, by either looking after his young ones after school or during the vacation (Patrick, Skinner & Connell, 2003). This will make him responsible enough and also learn the challenges which the parents face as they bring the children up. At school, Mathew should also be given the responsibility of being a perfect. He will surely be good enough since he must be a role model. It will be a challenge to him since he will forget his past and concentrate on his present. By doing so, he will find himself heading on the right track, towards the right direction

Conclusion

The environment surrounding Mathew is the home area. Therefore, the parents and siblings have got used to his bad habits, and are always dull (Koestner, Ryan, Bernieri & Holt, 2004). This will affect Mathew negatively, and change will not be as easy as one may imagine. Though it is not easy to cope with such a child and be happy, Mathew should be exposed to other environments with happy children, and he might change by the time he gets back to his parents and siblings.

Super nanny has helped many parents and has controlled the behavior of many children. Her teachings are unique and that is the reason behind her success in interacting with stubborn and violent children. Children must be controlled, to avoid embarrassment, and it should be done early enough before the habit turns to character.

References

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