Have you visited a Parent Discussion Group?
In my view, parenting is one of the biggest challenges I have faced in my life. It is incredibly rewarding, gratifying, yet challenging. I visited two informative Parent Discussion sessions reviewing parent books in the suburban Philadelphia area.
The first session covered discipline in general terms, like increasing appropriate behavior and techniques to decrease inappropriate behavior. There are a lot of theories and experts available to review and discuss. I like the general approach, especially since the group was small and we got to share a few scenarios for feedback by the facilitators. Those areas of parenting were a refresher for me. My takeaway from the Parent Discussion Group was that I need to modify my behavior in order to increase appropriate behavior or decrease inappropriate behavior. The week following this Parent Discussion went smoothly as I implemented a new concept for me - "Get 2-Yeses for every No". This approach reduces your child hearing "No" constantly and helps you express your desires in an agreeable manner (the "Yes" part) that your child responds to. It actually helped me stay calm when addressing my son's behavior. So, it worked beautifully for us!
I just participated in the second session, which drew a larger group. Hearing the diversity of family configurations - the number of kids and the spectrum of ages in a given family helped me feel a sense of comraderie, like any kind of family might have challenges. I attended the sessions more for me as I felt like I was becoming a Army general pushing my son through his morning and evening routines. I learned a couple tips on engaging cooperation from my son. Since it has only been a day, I have not tried the techniques yet. I suspect the simplicity of the parenting techniques will work equally as well. You'll hear about it, if it does not.
The value of the local support with this Parent Discussion Group is quite comforting and I hope to participate in future sessions.
Savor life's best,
Aimee
http://www.OccasionsToSavor.com
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