Is Your Child Running on Empty?
Sometimes arguing, complaining, refusing, and mood swings are not a child being difficult. They are signs a child has used up their capacity. This quiz helps you spot the difference.
For each statement, score 0 for not really, 1 for sometimes, 2 for often, and 3 for most days or very true.
Capacity, Not Character
The more complaining, arguing, and resistance you see, the more likely it is your child may be burning through too much energy during the day.
Answer based on patterns
Think about what shows up repeatedly across normal weeks, not one difficult day.
Look beneath the behaviour
Resistance can be a nervous system saying the day has already taken too much.
Use the result as a reframe
The goal is to ask how much capacity they have left, not what is wrong with them.
The reframe:
What This Tells You
A higher score does not mean your child is lazy, oppositional, or trying to be difficult. It may mean they are overloaded, tired, and out of capacity.
Next time, instead of asking why they are being like this, try asking how much they have already used up today.
