Session 6 Defining Discipline Guidance and Consequences Objectives

Session 6 – Defining Discipline: Guidance and Consequences

Objectives Parents and participants will: • Recognize that “testing limits” is a normal developmental task of children • Understand effective guidance tools and how they work with nurturance, prevention and consequences • Choose a new guidance tool to try this week with your “Gearing Up” child • Practice clearly stating expectations

Icebreaker Which behaviors can you tolerate or even embrace? People are not all the same, and that’s a good thing!

Ineffective vs. Effective What do parents do to get their kids to behave the way they want them to? v Generate a list of effective parenting techniques and a list of techniques that are ineffective.

Pyramid of Effective Discipline Consequences Guidance tools Nurturance and prevention tools

Choose Your Tool! • Choose a new tool from the guidance section you will use this week with your “Gearing Up” child. • Jot it down and note under which circumstances you will use it. Bring your success stories to share next week!

Clearly Stating Expectations Change these “wishing statements” to clearly stated expectations: 1) Why don’t you throw this in the trash? 2) It would be nice if you put on your pajamas. 3) I sure wish you would pick up your toys. 4) Would you like to brush your teeth? 5) Don’t you think you should come in now? 6) It’s time to get going, OK?

Natural Consequences Natural consequences occur without parental intervention. They are choices the child makes. For example: Decide not to wear socks and your feet get cold. Choose not to eat dinner and you get hungry. Leave your toys out in the rain and they get wet, or disappear all together.

Logical Consequences Logical consequences are imposed by the parent but in a calm, nonpunitive way that teaches the child responsibility by closely matching the child’s action to the consequence. “Choose to ride your bike without your helmet…”

Shifting Gears Please remember your handouts! Do you have anything you would like to share from last week’s session? Thank you for participating!