How To Train Your Children To Ward Off Pests As Early As Seven Years Old

The Need For Safety

One of the main reasons why we do not want to have pests at home is for the safety of our family, especially our children. Let us take a look at some of the most common pests that we want our children to watch out from. First and foremost, we want our children to do away with cockroaches at home. These creatures are one of the most disgusting creatures of this planet. Most of us know that cockroaches usually live under the sewers and drainage pipes. They prey on dirty objects and carcasses of other insects or animals. This is the main reason why they are dangerous when they get in contact with our children or their belongings and toys. At their speed of 4 to 5 kilometers per hour, who knows how much bacteria they can spread in a minute?

Another dangerous pest to watch out for is the rat and the mouse. We know children can be very curious about things they don’t understand.  Who is to say that they won’t touch a mouse or a rat when they see one? Plus, you need to understand that the bite from a mouse or a rat can bring rat-bite fever which is very lethal to children who have a weaker immune system. The symptoms of rat-bite fever include chills, headache, ulcerations, swelling of the lymph nodes, skin rash, muscle pain, and other complications such as heart infection, pneumonia, and meningitis.  

We should also keep them out from objects that had been in contact with rat or mouse droppings and saliva for these can cause salmonellosis, bubonic plague, and amoebiasis among many others. The next insect is the most common in all households – the ant. Although, to some people, these are not considered as pests because they pose various benefits to the environment.  However, when it comes to health and safety, they could also cause a great peril to the family. We all know that ants are very social creatures. They move from one place to another hoping to find food in every place they reach. This often includes dark, and dirty places like pipes, sewers, and many others. We can observe them feed on insect leftovers and carcasses, carrying its remains to their colony and feed the queen. Ants are known to be one of the most notorious bacteria hoarders.  

Imagine how much bacteria they can spread with their number inside your home! This is the reason why we need to keep them out of reach from our children. Furthermore, we all know that in the colony, ants have soldiers who are born and trained to protect the colony from any form of danger, especially the queen and her young ones. There’s a possibility that our children could be curious enough to get near an anthill and encounter soldier ants. This could be a very difficult situation especially that soldier ants will fight to the death to avoid unwanted factors from invading their colony. Your child could acquire some injuries from their encounters.

How You Discipline Your Child Matters

At seven years old, children start to acquire a little bit of independence, self-control, creativity, resourcefulness, and self-confidence. They are very eager to try new things and experiment in their surroundings. They also have low-tolerance, they easily get frustrated over things they cannot do or accomplish for themselves.  Because of this, they show their emotions by throwing a tantrum in front of their parents.

For some people who are impatient, they regard this behavior as bad or annoying, and it needs to be stopped. Let me ask you what are the methods you use to stop your children from throwing a tantrum. Do you stop them through scolding and yelling, through spanking, by threatening, or any other means? Let me tell you, scolding and yelling will not help your children stop their bad behavior. They may hear your voice loud and clear, but they barely understand anything you say. You are merely giving them an idea that it is okay to scream and shout. Spanking could also be a negative way to train your children. Without explaining why their actions are wrong, you might be instilling pain and violence into their minds.

As they grow older, they will find the idea of spanking and hurting okay, because they feel like this has been done towards them without any apparent reason. Threatening is the worst form of disciplining children. Have you ever heard the term Entomophobia or the fear of insects? One of the main reasons why children develop phobia is because of the constant threats they will hear from their environment. You might think that there is no effect on your children, except that it makes them eat their vegetables or makes them go to sleep early. But actually, your instilling fear into their minds. Does the gym know that children have a very wild imagination?  

Giving them ideas that insects will eat them in their sleep or take them away creates an imprint in their minds that is difficult to shake. It takes root in their subconscious. And when the time is right, all it needs is one trigger to develop such phobia that can ruin their lives for good. Most people mistake phobia from fear. Let me clear things up. Fear is the feeling of being threatened and apprehended by a certain object, animal, insect, or event. When a person develops a phobia, it entails the excessive and irrational fear that inhibits a person from living his life functionally.

Take, for instance, a person with Entomophobia is afraid to enter his house without any certainty that there are no pests around.  A person with this kind of condition will frolic, hyperventilate, and experience sweating, shaking, and other symptoms with just the thought of an insect.  This is the reason why you should never threaten your children with random objects or animals to avoid having these kinds of psychological disorders.

Teach Your Train Children About Pest Control

If you are tired of hearing tantrums and complains from your children, it is best to look for something you both agree in, like keeping pests outside the home. You know how children can get very energetic at times. When they get bored, children, at the age of seven, loves to have a sense of purpose. When they do, there is a significant decline in the onset of tantrums and frustration. As parent and child, you can use the pest-free project to hype up the confidence of your child and give him or her a sense of propriety over the things he can control. As early as seven years old, you can teach them the dangers of having pests around at home. In that way, they will be informed of the need to have a clean environment. Ensure your child that you will be working as a family to make sure you get a pest free home. After you have instilled the value of safety from pests, teach them basic cleaning skills such as sweeping, washing the dishes, and fixing up after meals. It is a win-win situation. They are taught values at home while you get more efficient towards pest control.

On the process, teach them patiently the basic uses of the broom, the soap, the sponge, and other cleaning amenities. As much as possible, control your temper when teaching them how to clean. Do not yell or spank them when they do things wrong. Instead, show them that you can be reasonable in teaching your children. So, they will be given the idea that there is no need to shout or get hurt when learning. Teach them to do their best every day and to pay attention to what they have been taught. In that way, you can gather your child’s trust to be his or her mentor. This can finally serve as a form of family bonding, something that your child will not easily forget. Do not also forget to reward your child after a good job done. You can buy him ice cream or something he likes from the store. In that way, he is more likely to keep up the good work.

You can see a dramatic change in their attitudes once they see the rewards they get from their efforts. When they see the beauty of their actions and the bonding it serves to the family, they will start to recognize you as a bigger part of their world. You will feel closer and more loving to each other as time passes by. Sooner than later, cleanliness will be a part of their value and conduct, which is very beneficial as they grow older. When you work as a team and give them a sense of trust and belongingness, they start to build their self-esteem. This will train them to be more conscientious, responsible, and independent in their journey through life. As for more information on warding off pests, get some help from local pest expert in North Carolina - the Lake Norman Pest Control.