The way in which children behave is a good indication of how they feel. Bad behavior is often much more than what it appears on the surface and can indicate that the child is experiencing stress in an area of their life.

In the past, behavioral issues have been dealt with by using a retributive approach. This focuses of who was to blame and what punishment do they deserve, however since there is a need to build relationships not break them down, an approach called the restorative approach is one that has become much more popular over time.

As punishment can result in anger, poor relationships and the denial of responsibility, this approach is much better at dealing with behavior on a longer term basis rather than a “quick fix”. It has a focus on relationships and repairing harm which allows everyone involved to have their feelings heard and work together towards mending the problem rather than someone receiving all the blame.