Episode 180 Q&A: Why Do My Kids Behave at School but Meltdown at Home?

This weeks question is from Tiffany,

“I’m really struggling with managing my two kids in the after-school time period. My nine-year-old has autism and his teachers tell me he does fine in school, but the minute he gets home, it's just one problem after another, it's like he's a different kid. My daughter is six, and also seems to get really worked up after she gets home from school. Maybe it's because of her brother. I'm not sure. I feel like I'm not doing a very good job managing them during this time. It’s creating a lot of stress for all of us. I just try to get through to the point where we can have dinner and they can go to bed. I don't get why they can have a good day at school and then come home and it's like this. Please help.”                                         

In this episode, I will address a phenomenon called school-restraint collapse and the many things you can do about it. After school time can be tricky for everyone, I hear from parents all the time that kids have a great day at school, but the moment they get home, or in the car, it starts the cascade of endless meltdowns and fights. Why do they turn into a hot mess? We talk about how to work through this and more importantly, how to prevent it.

You can submit a question by emailing us at support@drbeurkens.com with the subject line "Podcast Question."