Summary
After observing the behavior of children early in her parenting years, educator and journalist Katherine Reynolds Lewis went on a research path of her own to discover if anything has changed since “the good old days” when parents could rely on some degree of obedience and regulation of behavior. Indeed, the terrain has changed. According to statistics, 50% of children today have a mood, behavior, or substance use disorder by the time they graduate high school, resulting in what Reynolds Lewis calls a “self-regulation crisis.” Our job as parents and guardians is to help kids learn self-regulation skills through the “3 Cs: Connection, Communication, and Capability-building. In her book entitled, The Good News about Bad Behavior,” Reynolds Lewis drills down into each of these 3 Cs to give parents and educators tangible and proven practices for helping kids function effectively and independently. |
| Katherine Reynolds Lewis (seated) with Kelly Hane, D41 parent |
With a change in the times we need a new strategy for discipline. The goal is to build our children's coping skills and self-regulation skills which happens through Connection (touch, play, family meetings), Communication (empathy) and Capacity. Model and verbalize your own coping skills(deep breathing, etc.). In the heat of battle it is important to keep our own emotions in check . Make consequences related to the child’s action, reasonable in scope, that are revealed in advance, and respectful. We want them to learn from their mistakes-the consequences are more serious as our children age. Connect first before you correct-lead with the positive!
Click HERE to view the video
Click HERE for Katherine Reynolds Lewis web site