Trying

This Wednesday Wisdom comes to us from Ray Bradbury, author and observer of life.  I think it takes on significant meaning when we apply it to raising our children.

When a problem presents itself, either a new negative behavior or a new situation that poses a challenge, we try to formulate a plan.  We make our plan, try it out and see if it works.

An Example

Mikey has recently started taking the last sip of his cup of water and spraying it everywhere.  Wonderful.

At first, I asked him to stop.  Trial and error: I didn’t want to have to wait for him to do it to tell him no. Then, I tried intervening before he got to his last sip to remind him that spitting is not okay. That failed too.  Currently, I am trying to give him a replacement behavior to take the place of the spitting.

So, if you’re hanging out with Mikey and he gives a big refreshing, “aaahhh” after he drains his last sip out of his cup, you’ll know why.  I figured that was more socially acceptable than spraying everyone around him with water…not a perfect solution, but I am trying things to see if they work. Wink.