Change Your Behavior First

Want to change your child's behavior? First change yours.

What am I talking about? Sometimes it's more effective to change what YOU are doing or saying before you see a difference in your child. Rather than fight and argue, you might:
*Child-proof the environment and
*Ask more open ended questions.

If you don't want to see your child doing something unsafe, simply child-proof the living/playing environment. This way you eliminate sources of conflict and minimize your own worry and overuse of "No!" Most conflicts in early childhood parenting are about safety.

If you want more information before you react, practice asking open-ended questions (those answered with more than one word like, "yes" or "no"). Instead of, "Did you pick up your toys?" ask, "Where did you put away the toys?" Rather than, "Did you do your homework?" try, "What is your homework about?" Open-ended questions usually begin with where, what, who, or how, and encourage more casual conversation.

Try making one of these changes today and see if you notice better behavior in your child.
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