| Sometimes parents want to change toddler behavior | | | | parents prepared for him. The junk food tasted good, |
| and they don't know where to begin. During the toddler | | | | but it made him always feel tired and he got sick a lot. |
| years you could just ask your child to make a certain | | | | He missed out on a lot of the fun things that his friends |
| change, and it might work. But often it does not. Usually | | | | were able to do. One day, his best friend in the whole |
| at this stage I notice parents tend to try the "logic | | | | world came to him and said "You really need to eat |
| approach". They explain things to their toddler hoping | | | | healthy foods at meal time". It was a good thing that |
| that this will cause a change in behavior. | | | | his best friend told him this. He listened to what his best |
| Logic doesn't work very well with toddlers. But that | | | | friend said, and he started to feel so much better." |
| doesn't mean you can't still get your message across. | | | | A few fine points that are important for telling stories: |
| There are many ways to change toddler behavior | | | | 1) Use plenty of detail so that your child is really |
| without resorting to the ineffective use of logic. I | | | | engaged in listening. Make up parts of the story that |
| specialize in teaching parents how to use language | | | | you know will interest your child. |
| patterns to create change in toddlers. But aside from | | | | 2) Feel free to be really obvious about the point of the |
| language patterns, one method is to simply tell as story. | | | | story. You don't need to make it subtle as you would if |
| Story telling is as old as mankind. Everybody can relate | | | | you were doing this to an adult. |
| to a story. Think of the last time you watched a movie | | | | 3) Tell the story at a non-related time. So you wouldn't |
| that really had an effect on you. A movie is just a | | | | tell this eating story right at meal time. You might tell it |
| motion picture version of a story (rather than being | | | | while getting dressed for school, or while giving your |
| purely spoken words). | | | | toddler a bath. This is why you can afford to be so |
| Toddlers respond beautifully to stories. If you craft | | | | obvious in terms of the lesson you're trying to get |
| your story effectively, it can have a wonderful | | | | across. |
| hypnotic effect in terms of its ability to implant a | | | | 4) Do not explain it. This is key. Never (ever) explain |
| message within your child's brain. | | | | the message in your story. Just trust the unconscious |
| Here is a simple example: Let's pretend your child | | | | mind's ability to understand the message. |
| doesn't eat well at meal time but constantly wants to | | | | 5) Use stories to help you create change over a |
| snack on junk food. You might naturally be tempted to | | | | period of time. Don't expect an instant change. If the |
| explain the negative health consequences of not | | | | change is big, then tell several related stories over a |
| eating well. Instead, you could make up a very simple | | | | period of days. Plan them in advance and deliver them |
| story about a little boy you once knew. | | | | with real emotion. |
| "This little boy would eat a lot of junk food during the | | | | Story telling works. |
| day, but at meal time he would always refuse what his | | | | |