I thought all the whole drive back about how my children behave outside of our home in comparison to the way most other kids do. I would like to share some of the experiences we have had taking our young ones out in public. Now, mind you, our children are not perfect, we are not perfect parents, but we know exactly when and how to remove an unruly child from a bad situation. I think this is the very key to making a child behave favorably. Parents do not remove their children when they misbehave causing a big problem because it gives the child the idea that what they are doing is ok.
Removing the child does two things…1. It gives the parent the opportunity to correct the child in their way, consistent with the way they correct them at home. This tells the child that they can’t get away with anything they can’t get away with at home. It is consistency they need, and when you remove them, it is consistency they get. 2. It takes the enjoyment of the event or whatever it is that the child is doing away from them which ALSO takes away their audience. Doing this tells them they can’t continue to have what they are enjoying until they know how to behave themselves. This is a big bargaining tool and usually doesn’t take too many times before they learn this will be a consequence.
Consequence. Some people think this means corporal punishment or some other very harsh punishment when all it means is when you behave unfavorably, adverse events follow. This is a perfect, perfect life lesson when learned early enough will apply to each and every aspect of the rest of the child’s life.
–Baby Therapy in a Prozac World–
Morgen Kitschier
