Episode 59 (Epilogue): Gentle Discipline

 

The topic of tonight’s show was gentle discipline, something which can be a daily struggle for parents to do properly. We were joined in studio by two guests, Karen Leonetti and Peg Hughes. Karen  is a preschool teacher who runs Earth Angel Eco-Green Preschool in Sarasota, and is currently finishing her children’s book The Magically Delicious Rainbow Garden.  Peg is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a concentration in family and child therapy, who also facilitates parenting workshops.

We first talked to Karen, who began her discussion with the three biggest triggers for childhood crankiness: being wet, tired, and hungry. She emphasized the importance of pre-planning for these events. We also talked with Karen about how to ease the difficulty of everyday transitions, such as the ride to and from school. Karen then stressed the significance of avoiding labeling children, avoiding phrases like “good girl” or “bad girl,” which may essentialize children to their actions and avoid any gains from more in-depth understanding. Kim also gave some tips on how to redirect unwanted behavior and setting children up for success throughout the day.

We then brought Peg into the conversation, who was inspired by the Love and Logic family of parenting resources. Peg highlighted the need for parents to consider the role that their own behavior plays in how children act. She urged parents to make sure that their relationships with their children were based on respect and love, and to bring positive energy into their interactions. She discussed a four prong approach to gentle parenting: making sure children preserve their self-concept, making sure they share in thinking, making sure they share the control, and delivering empathy  and consequences. She emphasized the need for parents to not take action s of children personally when they are not meant to be, and  shared  techniques for allowing children to solve their own problems.

Finally we opened our guests up to questions, and they shared with us ways to help children sit through meal time, tips for managing  phone usage and phone interruptions,  ways to help stop behaviors like biting, and how to deal with sibling rivalry.

We want to remind our listeners that Peg will be offering a workshop about staying involved with your child’s education on  Wednesday,  11/14 from 6-8 pm and  Thrusday, 11/15 from 9:30-11:30am. More information about locations and RSVP info here!