Practice Positive Discipline

What is Misbehavior?

June 22, 2011

“Children don’t misbehave, they simply behave to get their needs met.” This quote comes from Dr. Thomas Gordon, but other psychologists and parent educators have said the same thing. Dr. Jane Nelsen devotes a whole section of her book, Positive Discipline, as well as lessons in her parenting classes to understanding children’s mistaken goals of [...]

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A Look at Your Discipline Style

May 19, 2011

I lead a meeting for the S. Austin Attachment Parenting chapter this morning on finding your discipline style. So often parents talk about what they don’t want to do: spank, shame, do what their parents did, etc. Figuring out what they do want to do is harder, especially when they didn’t have good models. Before [...]

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In a strange land…

May 17, 2011

Imagine you’ve just had some dental work done. Your deadened nerves make your mouth droop on one side. You’re drooling, but you don’t know you’re drooling because you can’t feel your face. Your tongue feels like it doesn’t quite fit in your mouth. And then, the phone rings. Someone’s calling about that job you’ve had [...]

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Not So Easy to Define AP to Conventional Parents

April 28, 2011

Tonight, I’m going to a parenting class at the request of the facilitator because, as he sees it, I will be able to add some interesting discussion about the topic of parenting, being an attachment parent and all. I reluctantly agreed to go, to at least try out the first day of this series. I [...]

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Don’t Argue With Me

April 27, 2011

Here’s something that happens a lot: I say something.  My child (I’m thinking particularly of my 4-year-old) argues the opposite.  He’s not at all correct.  In fact, he’s so not correct, his statement doesn’t make any logical sense at all. Mom, this is how you spell “people”: p-e-p-l.  Oh, close…there are a few more letters in there. No, [...]

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Embracing Positive Discipline’s Challenges

April 25, 2011

Positive discipline doesn’t come instinctively for many people. In fact, that’s why most parents undertake positive discipline in the first place; they want to change their current instincts about raising children. They want to break the cycle of using traditional discipline methods that compromise the parent-child relationship, and they are forging their way in a [...]

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How to Train Your Dragon: Yell at it?

April 14, 2011

Maybe,” [Old Wrinkly] said, “you can train a dragon better by talking to it than by yelling at it.” “That’s sweet,” said Hiccup, “and a very touching thought.  However…from what I know about dragons…I should say that yelling was a pretty good method.” “But it has its limitations, doesn’t it?” Old Wrinkly pointed out. –An [...]

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“Thank You” Feels Nice

April 7, 2011

I love swimming days.  With school and Taekwondo sandwiching the kids’ joint swimming lesson, and needing to fit lunch and showers in there, too, they are our busiest day of the week.  But also our favorite!  Swimming really “takes the edge off” for all of us, and we welcome the inevitable sense of calm we [...]

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