| Being a parent is a fantastic experience, but it can also | | | | hitting your little sister". This goes for pretty much |
| be very stressful at times. Managing a 4 year old's | | | | anything you communicate to your child. |
| behavior can be even harder than dealing with the | | | | 3) Stay calm when you discipline your child. If you |
| terrible twos. | | | | show your anger and frustration, your 4 year old will |
| The dream for a stressed out parent is to find a way | | | | know he or she has pushed your hot buttons. You'll |
| to get their 4 year old to listen and behave the way | | | | have more success with discipline if you keep your |
| they want. That's a tall order, but there are many tricks | | | | cool. You can be unemotional when implementing |
| you can use to accomplish this. My specialty is | | | | punishment. |
| teaching parents how to use language to get their kids | | | | 4) Never apologize when implementing punishment. If |
| to listen and do what is expected of them. | | | | you stay unemotional and act with calmness, you |
| Here are 5 quick tips to help you improve deal with 4 | | | | simply follow up on a threatened punishment with a |
| year old behavior. | | | | simple explanation of what your child did (after being |
| 1) Always acknowledge what your child is saying. If | | | | asked to behave differently) and you explain that the |
| you try to distract your child from whatever is on their | | | | punishment is because of the behavior/action. No |
| mind without first acknowledging them, they will see | | | | apologies necessary here. |
| right through you. But if you first repeat what they are | | | | 5) Feel comfortable following through. If you make a |
| saying, you'll "enter their world" and calm them down | | | | threat such as, "If you don't get over here right now I'm |
| before any fights begin. So if your child is asking if he | | | | not taking you to Grandma's tomorrow", then you |
| can have this great new toy while at the store, start | | | | better be prepared to actually follow through. |
| by saying "you want this toy, don't you?". | | | | Therefore, maybe you need to consider what is a |
| 2) When your child is acting in a way that you do not | | | | realistic punishment and what is not. Keep a short list |
| like, make sure you tell him or her what you DO want, | | | | of realistic punishments on the tip of your tongue, and |
| rather than telling them what you don't want. In other | | | | make sure at least one of these can be used when |
| words, speak in positive terms. "I want you to come | | | | you are not at home. Get your children in the habit of |
| over here" is better than "stop going over there". Or | | | | understanding that you are someone who acts, not |
| "keep your hands to yourself" is better than "stop | | | | just talks. |