06/10/2022
By Janet Lansbury: Children need to know that their discipline “teachers” are calm, unruffled, and understanding, not thrown or upset by their behavior. And that is the way that I have come to understand misbehavior. It is not intentionally bad, mean, or a way to upset parents. It is a request for help.
"Help me, I’m tired. Help me, I'm getting hungry. Help me stop hitting my friends. Help me stop annoying or angering you… better yet, stop me before I do those things. Help me by remaining calm so I sense how capable you are at taking care of me. Help me by empathizing, so that I know you understand and still love me. Help me so that I can let go of these urges and distractions and be playful, joyful, and free again."
Disclaimer: In the diverse and sometimes divisive world of parenting advice, one parent’s mistake is another’s best practice. So, for clarification, the way I define ‘mistake’ reflects the parenting goals I personally aspire to and is based on my experiences working with parents and toddlers...