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Do you find that your children don’t listen to you? Do they argue with each other much of the time? Do you find that you have to repeat yourself over and over? Are your kids rude and disrespectful to each other, and to you? Well, when was the last time you held a family meeting to talk about the way things are going? Family meetings have a bad reputation, because nobody wants to be called to the table to hear about how badly they are behaving. Instead, pull out an inviting snack and invite everyone into the kitchen for a “Round Table”. Talk about what you see, what you like, and what needs to change. If rude behavior or fighting is a problem, address it. If chores are not being completed, review them. Tell them what you see, and tell them what you expect. Let them know what consequences they will experience when they fight, and what consequences they will experience when they do something wonderful. Children need their parents to teach them limits and expectations. When they fulfill their goal, they always need parental recognition, so they feel good about themselves and do it again! You can address any undesirable behavior and replace it by nurturing your child’s empathy, understanding, and a desire to succeed. Read more in Teach your teenager to respect you.
Diana Boggia has a masters degree in education with licensure in preschool, elementary and special education. She taught children with multiple disabilities for 15 years and has been working with parents (families) with behavioral concerns for more than 23 years. She develops individualized strategies to build self esteem and diminish negative, attention-seeking behaviors for each child to be successful in achieving remarkable results. Throughout her work with parents Diana has developed a program that includes hands-on materials encompassing limit-setting, developing structure with schedules, teaching time management, increasing listening skills and parenting with incentives, rather than threats. These successful strategies have changed the dynamics of many families who were struggling with their child’s behaviors.
