Catch Them Doing Good!
Let’s continue our discussion regarding communication and behavior. Good speech and language skills in a toddler can help decrease tantrums. If a toddler is adequately able to communicate his or her wants or needs, the less likey they are to have tantrums due to being misunderstood.
But remember though…even toddlers with great speech and language skills can have tantrums because, well, let’s face it…toddlers want things when they want it!
Let’s take some time to look at another facet of behavior in toddlers. It’s very, very important to catch your toddler doing good. Please note that I said ‘doing’ good versus ‘being’ good. Your toddler is good, worthy of love, valuable no matter how they behave. We need to communicate this to them right from the beginning. We love them no matter what; they are our children!
By stressing or emphasizing to our toddlers that they are being good could, unfortunately and unintentionally, lead to a performance mentality in them. And they could start basing their worth or value on ‘how they behave’ versus simply the fact that they are precious human beings worthy of our love!
Do you see the difference? It may seem nit-picky or a semantic issue, but our children process things on many different levels; and the smart and astute parent is willing to delve deeper into their parenting style and make changes when necessary for the benefit of their little one. After all, parenting is about our children, not us, right? Yikes…I’m preaching to myself today!
So, how do we catch them doing good? Simple! Be on the look-out for when they are doing what you have instructed them to do. For example, maybe your toddler has had a problem sharing their toys with the neighbor next door.. No big shock here! When you see them actually sharing their toys without being reminded to do so, tell them! “Hey Joey, great job sharing your hot wheels with Mike!”
Stay tuned for smart ways to praise your toddler!
Don’t forget: Get baby-talking!
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