By Sarah Chana Radcliffe
You're not going to be surprised when your child misbehaves, are you?
Often you can anticipate that a child will have trouble behaving appropriately in a given situation. For example, you may know that your child becomes demanding when she's in a food store with you. Or perhaps your son becomes aggressive whenever his siblings are in the same room with him. Instead of being caught "off-guard," prepare for the troublesome behavior in advance. Start off with being committed to controlling your voice and choice of words, should you have to intervene. Ideally, decide what you will do about the negative behavior in advance. Most importantly, continue to work on PREVENTION by investing your energy in teaching and reinforcing the appropriate behavior, rather than simply "showing up" when the child is acting inappropriately.
There's no rush - you can finish the conversation at a better time....
When a loved one "doesn't want to talk," don't push. Allow time and space - and sometimes, healing - to create a more appropriate point of connection. Effective communication happens only when both parties are ready and willing to make it happen.
