It warms my heart to hear Positive Discipline success stories. I know other parents find them them helpful and encouraging too. I asked for permission to share Laura Beth's and Jake's story to inspire others.
My son, Jake, 3-years-old, loves to help out with projects like these. We have done a behavior chart before (it turned into a piece of art on our fridge instead of a teaching tool!). However, the Routine Chart and Wheel of Choice have been very successful in our home. Even though he always knew his routine before bed, having a chart has made it fun for him, PLUS he gets to look at himself in the pictures he took! We walked through his routine together before snapping photos of him doing it all! He is proud of the chart, shares it with anyone who comes into his room! He has been using it for about 3 weeks and he doesn’t forget a step!
The Wheel of Choice was fun to put together too. I asked him what he’d like to do when he’s feeling frustrated or sad or hurt... And he proceeded to tell me he’d rather laugh than cry; he likes to “take a break and drink water”; dance; etc. He got into the actual searching for pictures that described the words and the outcome is our Wheel Of Choice. We used it today, in fact, when he and his sister (Marin, 17 months old) were sitting on the sofa sharing a book. Marin, took the book and Jake immediately flipped his lid. Yelled at her, grabbed the book, made her cry, she grabbed it back and I slowly walked in. I asked Jake if he’d like to use his Wheel Of Choice to help – and he actually said YES! He chose to “share his toys,” he got Marin her own book that was more appropriate for her and she gladly gave him his book back. They sat there for a while and then traded!!
All my very best,
Laura Beth
