By Sarah Chana Radcliffe
Your child is going from one inappropriate behavior to the next and you are following him around with one correction after the other. After some time you notice that this youngster's behavior is getting worse and worse. Nothing you are doing - none of the reprimands, threats or punishments - is helping. What to do? Temporarily ignore every inappropriate behavior except those that are dangerous. Look for, and comment on, every appropriate behavior ("Hey, thanks for putting the milk away."). In between, smile, joke around, affectionately touch, give treats and otherwise be super sweet, for no reason whatsoever. Keep this up for two weeks and check to see if the child's behavior has improved. If he or she is doing better, you can slowly add in a bit of necessary correction - but only a bit.
