Let’s start at the very beginning….

I recognizes how hard it is to be a parent, especially in this new Covid world. We appreciate the difficult challenge of having to wear so many hats: teacher, therapist, referee, judge, chef, housekeeper, accountant, entertainer, nurse, and of course Mother. Amongst all these responsibilities, you must also raise your  baby to become a happy, healthy, successful adult. 

The good news is, you don’t have to do this alone. I will post short articles to assist you in laying down a foundation to achieve this goal. Enjoy these “pearls” of wisdom and use them as the need arises to make parenting more enjoyable and successful.

Today I thought we’d start with the fundamental principle of behavioral management, also known as, reinforcement. Anything that causes a behavior to be repeated is called reinforcement. If you go to work, they pay you with money.  This is reinforcement.  If they stopped paying you, you probably would stop working. The more they pay you, the more likely it is that you will do as they ask.  Fairly simple, right?  How do we apply this to your kids?  What motivates them?  For most, especially for younger ones, attention is the best motivator. For example if you see your baby smile, you smile back and show your happiness.  She sees you are pleased, and smiles more. And the cycle continues.  

Today’s Pearl is:  Reinforce the behaviors you want to continue. 

Your homework is to “catch” your child doing something you like. Then I want you to give them positive feedback (AKA reinforcement).  The more you see them repeat that action, give them more encouragement. Let’s see if they start doing it more.

Keep on eye out for further columns l