Avoiding Barriers
Avoiding Barriers Do you create any of the following barriers regularly with someone you love? Do you believe that if you worked at it you could use them less often? Let’s look at an example as a means of understanding the barriers and builders. Suppose four-year-old Linda becomes stuck when her tricycle wheel runs off […]
How Do You Motivate a Teen? Yes, It Is Possible!
How Do You Motivate a Teen? Yes, It Is Possible! When parents ask, “How do I motivate my teen?” they usually mean, “How do I get my teen to do what I want? How do I get her to have some balance in her life? How do I get him off the computer, get outside, […]
Another Hug Story – Podcast
Another Hug Story – Podcast Some of you may know that a Hug is one of my favorite Positive Discipline Tools. During this podcast you will understand why as I interview Beth Whitehead after she sent me the following success story. Dear Jane, As you may remember, I had a situation with my older daughter (3 […]
Connection Before Correction
Connection Before Correction Extensive research shows that we cannot influence children in a positive way until we create a connection with them. It is a brain (and heart) thing. Sometimes we have to stop dealing with the misbehavior and first heal the relationship. Connection creates a sense of safety and openness. Punishment, lecturing, nagging, scolding, […]
What Does Your Child Under Three Really “Know” About “No”?
What Does Your Child Under Three Really “Know” About “No”? An excerpt from the book Positive Discipline The First Three Years Children under the age of three do not understand “no” in the way most parents think they do. (And, a full understanding of “no” doesn’t occur magically when the child turns three. It is a […]
Parenting and Teenagers
Parenting and Teenagers An excerpt from the Positive Discipline for Teenagers book by Dr. Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott. REMEMBER WHEN YOUR teen was a baby just learning to walk? What a milestone. You didn‘t want to miss any of it, and you were very supportive and encouraging. You would take her little hands in yours and start walking along […]
Child Discipline: To Punish or Not
Child Discipline: To Punish or Not What do you think of when you hear the word “discipline”? Most people think of punishment. I invite you to think a little deeper starting with the exploration of the long-term results of punishment. When children are punished they do not learn self-discipline. Punishment provides “external” motivation. Self-discipline requires […]
Follow Through
Follow Through You hear a lot of talk these days about boundaries. Oprah talks about setting healthy boundaries. Parenting books explain how to set boundaries. Parents everywhere understand the need for rules. So what, precisely, is it that makes discipline so frustrating? The way I see it, it isn’t setting the rules and boundaries that’s […]
A Misbehaving Child is a Discouraged Child
A Misbehaving Child is a Discouraged Child Where did we ever get the crazy idea that the way to make a child “do” better is to first make him or her “feel worse”? That is the premise of punishment; and it is truly crazy. Think of the last time you felt scolded and humiliated by […]
Gratitude and Generosity
Gratitude and Generosity by Jody McVittie, MD, Executive Director, Sound Discipline, in Seattle, WA and a Certified Positive Discipline Lead Trainer As the leaves begin to turn vibrant colors and then fall, we enter the season of shorter days and longer nights. It is also, for many of us, a season of holidays and traditions. This can be […]
