The Parenting Project

Used to be, parents could do whatever they needed to do to make their children mind. Then Child Protective Services (CPS) came along and parents were told that they could not hit their kids…including spanking. Parents lost their major tool for making kids mind–without being given any replacement options. The main suggestion that is offered is to “take away the things they care about.” Unfortunately this rarely seems to work.

These are the kind of things I commonly hear:

• “We have taken everything from her. She has a mattress on the floor, a sleeping bag, a pillow, limited clothing, and…no door on her bedroom. She still doesn’t mind. Nothing seems to matter. She just doesn’t care about ANYthing.”
• “I have to take away his books and his Kindle–the things he loves–in order to get his attention.”
• “I have to keep her things long enough so that she will follow the rules/do what I say.”
• “He has to earn the right to have his things back.”
• “She doesn’t get to go play outside. It has to hurt enough that she knows I’m serious.”
• “He is grounded for the next month. No friends, no electronics, no nothing. He just needs to think about what he has done wrong.”

Any of that sound familiar? Either as a strategy you’ve tried or as what you grew up with? Did it work? Do you remember when you were a teen? And what worked or didn’t work with you?

Okay. So…You can’t “hit” your kid. Taking things and privileges doesn’t work. What can you do?

First, let’s look at the difference between punishment and discipline.

The goal of punishment is to make sure that it hurts enough that kids won’t forget and won’t misbehave again. It is an external motivation for attempting to control our kids. What most kids “learn” from punishment is how to do a better job of lying or how to be sneakier and not get caught.

The root of the word discipline is “disciple” which means, “to teach”. When we discipline our children we want them to learn something; we are helping them learn. We are creating internal motivation.

These are the elements that separate discipline from punishment. We all learn best when things make sense. It is easier to learn when the atmosphere is friendly. So stay calm (or wait until you are). Focus on “What do I want my kid to learn? How can I help him learn?” rather than, “How can I make sure this hurts enough that my kid won’t forget?” Don’t invite your children to defy you; invite them to learn.

Discipline doesn’t have to hurt to be effective…in fact, it is usually more effective if it doesn’t hurt.

(This is part one of the series “Discipline Doesn’t Have To Hurt.”)

Want more tips and hints? Check out “Upcoming Workshops” or “Problems with Teens”.

When my youngest son was about 15 he announced to me, “Jason and I have been talking and I know we’re right because we both agree. The only vegetables that aren’t disgusting are raw carrots…and maybe raw celery.” I thought, “Great. The closed reality of a couple of teenagers.”

Two years later he was a vegetarian. Amazingly, he didn’t starve. Now there are no vegetables (that I know of) that he doesn’t like. Hang in there, their tastes will change as they get older.

And in the meantime, what about their vegetables?

1. Serve foods they like…most of the time. You might want to cook a bit differently when your kids are young. You can avoid adding “objectionable” foods ~ the ones you know they don’t like ~ mushrooms for example ~ and still have a good meal. (Serve the mushrooms on the side.)
2. It is important for kids to continue to try new foods so I suggest the “No-thank-you-bite”…which really is a “bite”. It’s not a small spoonful or 5 green beans. It is one bite. You just want them to taste it before they say “No.” Don’t get caught in the power struggle over how big the bite is. If they say “No thank you”…
3. …Consider allowing kids to prepare their own vegetables if they don’t like the vegetable du jour and have tried their no thank you bite. Remember the goal: you want them to eat SOME veggies…ANY veggies…even if they aren’t the ones you chose.
4. Get creative. My brothers used to come home and snack on frozen peas…then were exempt from the dinner veggie.
5. In an unofficial Facebook poll,  people reported liking the following vegetables as kids: cucumber, green beans, tomatoes, peas, and carrots. You might want to try these with your kids. And the following, to avoid, were rated “disgusting”: okra, eggplant, mushrooms, and beets.

3 final notes on food.

1. In Malcolm Gladwell’s new book “What the Dog Saw” he has a discussion about ketchup and notes that by the age of 2 or 3 children “shrink from new tastes”. They frequently want to use ketchup as a way to make “strange” foods taste familiar. Knowing this may help you understand “why?” when your kid doesn’t like the delicious meal that you have slaved to make for your family….or dumps ketchup all over it. Don’t take it personally. Remember. Their food is their food. And…don’t criticize them for it. Hey. At least they’re eating it, right?

2. Cooking with kids (of any age) is a great way to spend some quality one on one time with them. Many kids are more interested in (and proud of) eating a meal they have helped prepare. It’s also a great opportunity for them to learn a valuable life skill.

3. Let kids cook with you— http://www.BeyondBeansAndWeenies.com has a series of recipes on video that are “fast,      tasty, cheap and easy. Most meals can be made in under 12 minutes (prep time) for less than $12. They are fast…but they go beyond the standard Beans and Weenies. (Hence, the name).”

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Power struggles with kids. You see them everywhere. Frustrated parents. Out of control kids. Yikes!

One of the first things I tell parents is, “Any control you have over your child, is an illusion.” Most parents of teenagers know this…but try to control their kids anyway. One of the next things is, “Do not engage in a power struggle with your kids because you will never win”…not that we want to have a win/lose relationship with our kids. The harder you try to control your teen, the more they will resist and the more their behavior will escalate.

What to do?

1. Get really clear about your boundaries. Know when you need to take a stand…and when you can let it go.

2. Remember that the only person that you have control over is you.

3. Stay calm and rational. When you “lose it” you can’t help your kids “find it”.

4. Tell them what they are doing. You do not want to shame or embarrass them. You only want to help them be aware of what they are doing. “Do you realize that you are yelling (swearing, being disrespectful)?”  Have you ever noticed that when YOU get upset you begin to raise your voice…sometimes without even noticing?

5. Tell them what YOU will/won’t do. This is NOT a threat or ultimatum. This is not a power play on your part. This is you letting them know (stating…”just the facts ma’am”) where you stand. The key here is your tone of voice. Let them know, “I will not be in conversation with you when you are yelling (swearing, being disrespectful) at me. This conversation is over for now.”

6. Give them a way back. Always let them know what you want from them and how they can re-gain connection. “We can talk when you are ready to have respectful conversation.”

7. Re-engage ASAP. This means that if they are immediately ready to have respectful conversation, you are too. The more quickly you are willing to re-engage/re-connect with them, the more effective this is. The message is “I love you. What you have to say is important to me. I want respectful interaction with you.” If you get angry, upset, or decide to “teach them a lesson” and make them wait, you turn this into a “punishment” instead of a “discipline” (opportunity to learn.) As a discipline, your kids will learn to self-correct.

8. Move forward. Don’t go back or ask, “Are you finally going to be respectful?” Never say, “I told you so”, or “Now isn’t that better”, or “If you had been respectful in the first place…” Unless your goal is to elicit eye-rolling.

9. Acknowledge ~ briefly. Always let kids know what you like, but don’t go overboard. Be sincere. “Thanks. I enjoyed our conversation.”

10. Always treat kids with the same respect you want to be treated with.

11. The shortcut. If this is a chronic problem, after the first few times, go straight to step #5 and proceed from there.

For more helpful tips and strategies, check out “Upcoming Workshops”.