Search Results for: blog what behavior not to ignore

When Another Child Hits

Playdates can be a fun activity for both babies and their parents. Introducing your child to his peers is a great way to jump start the socialization process. Plus, having other adults to talk to during the day can help keep parents connected. But one issue that eventually seems to come up for every parent who play dates is what to do if another child hits, bites or otherwise abuses your child. How do you balance the protective instinct with the aversion to discipline another parent’s child? So what do you do if your little guys friend starts hitting? The … Continue reading →

Who Really Wants to be Ignored?

Yesterday, I wrote here in the Single Parents blog wondering how we could really blame our children for wanting to have our attention. As I wrote, I realized that the “dark shadow” of attention-seeking behavior on the part of our kids is how it can affect them when they feel ignored. After all, who really wants to be ignored and is there anything worse than feeling invisible and unimportant? We may not be intentionally ignoring our child or children—life can get hectic and busy and we might be so wrapped up in our own worries that we do not even … Continue reading →

When One Child Constantly “Copies” Another

Any of us who had siblings of our own remembers being “copied”—or maybe you were that younger sibling who followed an older one around imitating what they did and what they said? As parents, if we have two or more children (or this can also happen with kids and friends), we will inevitably be called upon to “Make him stop copying me!” If you can ignore the copycat battles and chalk it up to typical childhood behavior, you are a far more Zen parent than many! Imitation is a fact of life—whether it is in our families, the work place, … Continue reading →

Can You Ignore It?

A huge chunk of parenting is responding to our child’s behavior. While we may try to anticipate as much as we can, and even try to be an influencer and guide things in the direction we would like them to go, the truth is that often we are in response mode—responding to whatever crisis or behavior our child has come up with. Instead of responding and reacting to everything your child does, however, you might want to ask yourself if this is something you can possibly ignore? This can be such a tricky and sticky parenting technique—after all, we don’t … Continue reading →

Sometimes, Saying “No” is Not Enough

For some of us parents, getting the authority to say “No” is a big step. Others of us say it all the time but without the follow-through and limit-setting it does not really have much power on our children. From the time children are tiny, there are those times when just saying “No” is not enough—we need to follow through with physical removal, consequences, or distraction and intervention. Sometimes it is easier to see things in other people than to recognize them in ourselves. Have you ever been at a park or visiting with a friend and heard her tell … Continue reading →

Modifying Behavior-Lesson 2: Trial and Error

The first lesson in learning to modify behavior was getting to “know thy pet”. Which I tried to better explain in What it Means to Know Thy Pet. To illustrate both Lesson 1 and this next lesson, I’m going to use the example of an unwanted behavior I had to deal with last year: Tabby banging on the blinds. Step 1: Applying Lesson 1 – Why the Blind Bashing Ceremony? No one likes to be awoken in the wee hours by a cat determined to figure out how to make it past the blinds blocking her view out the window. … Continue reading →

What I Love About a Home Business—Not Having to Deal with Crabby, Moody Co-workers

One of the realities of working in a traditional job with an office full of co-workers, is that one often has to put up with moodiness, crabbiness and other behaviors from our co-workers. Sure, it can be character-building and help us develop tolerance and appreciation for the differences in other people, but when one is working from her own home-based business—this is not as big of a factor. Okay, so we still have to deal with moody customers or clients and we might even also be coping with our crabby children during the work day—but all in all, we are … Continue reading →

Letting Kids Suffer The Natural Consequences of Misbehavior

Allowing our kids to suffer the natural consequences of their actions is an effective discipline technique. Like most parenting methods, the key to success is consistency. Last week Tyler decided to test me on not one but two occasions. I had to make a trip to Tennessee and while walking down the frozen food isle at Publix he decided this would be an ideal time to throw a tantrum. I politely informed him that if he didn’t stop he would get a spanking and not get any ice-cream. He decided he would not stop so I had to follow throw … Continue reading →

What Behavior NOT to Ignore

Often times, ignoring unsavory and unappealing behavior in our children is the best way to get it to stop. It is an ancient and very effective tool to have in a parent’s tool bag if you are able just ignore some things—they will go away if the child doesn’t get the hoped-for response from mom or dad. However, ignoring is not always the best route to take and there are some things that should NOT be ignored… As a rule, any behavior that is dangerous or destructive should not be ignored. This goes for things a child does that are … Continue reading →

Tabby’s “Disturbing” New Behavior

Ugh! This cat is crazy. (And driving me crazy!) Don’t get me wrong. I love her. Just last week I was wondering what if I hadn’t stopped to pick her up? How empty my life would be. But this week I’m pondering how peaceful my slumber would be, as lately it’s been anything but. Wake Up! It’s 5 A.M. She might be on the small side as far as cat’s go, but she’s got a mighty roar –and she’s not afraid to use it. If she’s awake and walking around, she’s usually running her mouth. I used to think Kitty, … Continue reading →