Click Here For New and Improved Method of Taming Tantrums!
Are constant tantrums a part of your everyday life? Is the yelling and screaming getting you down? Are your old methods of time-outs, the naughty chair and yelling back not working anymore? There is a new method available, and it is free, thanks to the Yale Parenting Center.
(I actually don't want to make fun of the Yale Center, which is one of the few places out there that is doling out parenting advice based on actual research.)
Dr. Kazdin of the Center says the way to stop tantrums is to ignore them. Sounds impossible I know. How can you possibly ignore a screaming child who wants their way? How can you not punish a misbehaving child?
This "new method" isn't new at all. The premise is to give attention to good behaviour and ignore bad behaviour. It sounds a lot like the Adlerian method taught by the Parenting Network and Alyson Schafer. Essentially, kids have a misguided belief that attention equals love, and so they don't care if it is good or bad attention.
Giving attention and encouragement to kids when they are behaving well, and ignoring them when they are driving you crazy will eventually make them realize that acting like a model citizen is the way to go. Of course, making kids understand that your love does not vary with their behaviour is also an important part of parenting.
Do you find it easy to turn a blind eye to your kids' tantrums? Do you think this method should come with a money-back guarantee?
Want more chaos? Last year, I was trying to convince myself that sibling rivalry was a good thing.
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