Posts Tagged ‘child behavior’

Positive Parenting Tips

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

The Goddard School supports positive parenting techniques and we hope you enjoy the guest article below!  Many of our own teachers are “Love and Logic” graduates via the workshops offered to enrolled and non-enrolled parents at our school.

When children whine and argue it is tempting to say, “Stop!,”  “Quit whining!,” or “Calm down!” However, the next time your child has a meltdown, try repeating, “I will be happy to listen when your voice is calm like mine,” or, “I will be happy to help when your voice is calm like mine,” in a non-emotional voice.  Parents report that if they are calm and consistent, it doesn’t take long for their children to learn that the adult is not going to get hooked into the argument.  And, the child learns to calm down quickly!

Shockingly diverse kindergarten group in Paris
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After facilitating a Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun!™ introduction session, I received an email from a mother that attended and tried this technique.  Shawn wrote, “I have already started using some of the tools and they are not only working to give some power back to the kids, to problem solve and make better choices, but more important for us all is that I FEEL CALMER!  Thank you for this taste of sanity.  Ahhh…”

If you could use a “taste of sanity,” please join us for this five week course that focuses on children from birth through age six.  We explore easy-to-use skills to help parents raise respectful, responsible kids and lower our parenting stress.

This program holds a 30-year track record of success and is designed to help parents in FIVE key areas:
•    Preserve and enhance the child’s self-concept.
•    Teach children how to own and solve the problems they create.
•    Share the control and decision-making.
•    Offer empathy, then consequences.
•    Build the adult-child relationship.
As a stay-at-home mom, I have the opportunity to put these principals into practice everyday.  My husband and I have found that the Love and Logic techniques allow us to spend less time handling behavior, giving us more time to enjoy our children.

And as a facilitator of this course, I have the opportunity to see parents come back to class each week more relaxed and more confident.  My own experiences as well as their success stories inspire me to spread the word about Love and Logic.

The Goddard School of Cedar Park, located at 1905 El Salido Parkway, is hosting the Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun!™ course on Tuesday evening, October 19th from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm.  Childcare is available.  To register, visit www.highfiveparenting.com or contact Laura at 512.784.5231 or highfiveparenting@gmail.com.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make parenting less stressful!

Laura Baker
Independent Facilitator
Love and Logic Early Childhood Parenting Made Fun!™

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Toddler Biting Behavior

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Continuing from my last post on toddler biting behavior, if it happens again, or if your child bites someone for reasons other than first time curiosity, behavior modification may be needed.

Sometime as parents, we tend to panic and draw a blank, when our child does something unexpected. Especially, if it is something that hurts another person. Keep these things in mind if your toddler displays biting behavior:

A few side tips:
-Don’t ever laugh if your child playfully bites. This will reinforce their behavior.
-Don’t bite them back. This will also reinforce their behavior or cause confusion for them.
-When you play with your toddler, eliminate the use of playful and fake biting. This is another thing that reinforces their biting behavior and causes confusion.
-Pack plenty of snacks when your toddler is out and about. Sometimes they might be trying to satisfy an urge of hunger.

If your toddlers biting behavior is occurring while you are not present, you may want to talk to your childcare provider about taking some ideas and implementing some of these tips.

Visit our website @ http://www.goddardschool.com//Schools/Cedar-Park-TX/Schools.gspx & follow us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/GoddardSchoolCP

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How do you deal with YOUR Tantrums?

Friday, July 24th, 2009

For some interesting tips on tantrums, read the following article by local Austin child/family thereapist, Crystal Stevenson.  For more info, CLICK HERE for her website:

Yes, adults have them too….So maybe we don’t act on ours as often as our children do, but that’s because we have more impulse-control, practice at holding our tongues, and know that it wouldn’t be socially appropriate. But think of the last time you were returning something at a store, and the lady before you was told she couldn’t return her item for some reason or another, and the poor cashier is trying to keep her calm, callfor her manager, and then the manager gets an earful and arms are waiving all over the place while she’s explaining her case! Yes, we’ve all seen it (and maybe even done it!).So why do our kids do this daily? Various reasons: First of all, they too are trying to explain their case, and they do not have control over their voices, or the verbal skills yet to explain their case, so they kick, scream, stomp, and wail their arms (sound like the lady above?). They are trying to let you know how mad they are that they don’t have control over their environment, and feel frustrated and helpless that they can’t change it (no matter how many managers the lady yells at, they still wont let her return the item). You are telling your child they can’t have what they want when they want it, and they’re telling you “That stinks!” in the only way they know how right now. Practicing impulse-control is something that comes with age, constant redirection by caregivers, and lack of response to the behavior as they get older are only a few ways you can handle thesetantrums. But sometimes the child just needs to hear, “I know it frustrates you, and you wish things were different.”
Crystal Stevenson, MA, LPC-I
Individual, Family, and Child Therapy

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