And then it was October... The school year is off to a racing start; Ms. Stenberg's Kindergarten class at Rogers last Wednesday counted 30 school days that have already gone by! The fast paced routine of school and fall is also mirrored at home, as families attempt to do homework, make dinner, get to soccer practice, exercise, walk the dog, and have some quality time all in the short time after school. In our home, we are juggling a bathroom remodel, mom's pregnancy hormones, and seemingly endless evening work activities while desperately finding time to connect and rejuvenate! As I race around from one task to the next, I am reminded of a simple, yet powerful Positive Discipline Tool to help bring me to the present moment with my daughter-- when I am present with her I feel immediately connected, while modeling mutual respect and love:
Eye to Eye:
Have you noticed it doesn't work when you sit on the couch and yell at your child from across the room?
1) Stop whatever you are doing. Get up and get close enough to your child to see his or her eyes.
2) You will notice that you speak more softly when you make the respectful effort to see your child's eyes.
On another note, we are in week 4 of our Positive Discipline Parenting Class at Queen Anne. What an amazing group of parents! They continue to ask thoughtful questions and bring energy to the activities as they explore parenting tools first hand. Last week we focused on finding the belief behind a child's misbehavior, and will be taking time to observe our children's behavior to see what is really at the root of it. With our children who left us feeling annoyed and irritated, we imagined they were wearing a sign that said "Notice Me, Involve Me." This reminded us to use effective encouragement such as redirecting (assigning a task so children gain useful attention), setting up nonverbal signals, setting up routines, and spending special time.
Happy Halloween!
Julietta Skoog, School Psychologist
PS-To learn more about me or catch up on previous blog postings , you can go to my website here:juliettaskoog
Eye to Eye:
Have you noticed it doesn't work when you sit on the couch and yell at your child from across the room?
1) Stop whatever you are doing. Get up and get close enough to your child to see his or her eyes.
2) You will notice that you speak more softly when you make the respectful effort to see your child's eyes.
On another note, we are in week 4 of our Positive Discipline Parenting Class at Queen Anne. What an amazing group of parents! They continue to ask thoughtful questions and bring energy to the activities as they explore parenting tools first hand. Last week we focused on finding the belief behind a child's misbehavior, and will be taking time to observe our children's behavior to see what is really at the root of it. With our children who left us feeling annoyed and irritated, we imagined they were wearing a sign that said "Notice Me, Involve Me." This reminded us to use effective encouragement such as redirecting (assigning a task so children gain useful attention), setting up nonverbal signals, setting up routines, and spending special time.
Happy Halloween!
Julietta Skoog, School Psychologist
PS-To learn more about me or catch up on previous blog postings , you can go to my website here:juliettaskoog
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