Oh, I’m not talking about the kids, I’m talking about us. It has often been said that you only have control over one thing in this life – you. But how you react can shape the behavior of others around you.
Take for example the principles of reinforcement. If a child engaging in a tantrum for access to a tangible item (let’s say candy at the grocery checkout) and you give it to them, then you just reacted to the situation. You also provided reinforcement for the tantrum, but that’s a whole other posting. You’re actions do speak louder than your words and you would have just taught that child that tantruming gets them candy. By controlling your reactions to different situations, you can modify your child’s behavior. As the old quote goes, “Act, don’t react.” So that being said, “Control yourself.”
Do you need assistance with learning what to do in certain situations with your child? Then contact BDS today at 240-355-0834 or email us at [email protected].