As we were reminded by Grandpa Wanat last week “they don’t come with instructions”.
“I came with instructions!”
That being said there is a wealth of wisdom and an ocean of advice to be waded through if one is so inclined. Jenn and I are. We are both reading parenting books. Jenn’s covering potty training and I’m reading about non-violent parenting. It was a concept I didn’t have a name for until I spoke to the Godfather, Mike Morrell.
One of the more interesting pieces of paperwork you sign when adopting is an agreement that you will not use corporal punishment on your child. Beyond the adoption documentation we didn’t want to resort to whippings and leg slaps to achieve our goals. Ditto on verbal lashings. I spoke to Jasmin, Mike’s wife and mother to a fellow genius child. She provided a great list of resources. I started with the first on the list, “Beyond Time Out” by Beth A. Grosshans, Ph.D.
Before I continue I should let dear reader know I am very much of the mindset to take the gold and leave the dross. You should do the same.
Dr. Grosshans begins by identifying the dilemma many families find themselves in as IFP, or Imbalance of Family Power. If you don’t remember it now you will if you read the book. She repeats this phrase many times over. She points out that parents have the power and children want it. Parents need to exercise their power responsibly for the health of the family. The author presents her theory on why so many parents are reluctant to be…
well…how can I say it?
Parents.
Next she proposes that children will naturally attempt to usurp power from their parents. Everyone, even those without kids, know what she’s talking about. Kids saying “no”, pushing the boundaries, trying to find out just what they can get away with. By naturally Dr. Grosshans means it’s written into their DNA. There is no need to blame the child or claim they “have the devil in them”. It’s just the way things are.
She continues with her analysis of parental types. Her classification system is simple; Pleasers, Pushovers, Forcers, and Outliers. She spends a chapter sketching out the characteristics of each type, providing real world examples of how these parental types address little Suzy’s melt downs or Bobby Joe’s refusal to clean his room.
The first three are easy to pick out. We wondered what she meant by Outliers. She’s referring to the bright parents. You know, the parents whose kids are chess masters at age 4, speaking a foreign language at 6, and already have their careers picked at 10? Just think Rick Moranis’ character in “Parenthood”. The movie, not the TV show! These are the parents who are emotionally distant from their children yet thoroughly involved in their education.
Let’s break here for a cute photo.
Resuming in 3, 2, 1.
The meat of the book focuses on her system called “The Ladder”. It’s a short ladder. More of a large step stool. The rungs on the ladder are:
Step 1: A bid for cooperation
Step 2: “I mean business” reminder
Step 3: To the bedroom
Step 4: Shut the door
Step 5: The parent hold
I’ll elaborate on the steps, however for those seeking to put these steps into practice read the book. Or at least thoroughly skim it. Please don’t read this and think “oh, I can do that based on a blog post!”.
Throughout the process the parent remains calm and in control. This is key to each step.
In step one the child (we’ll call her Penelope) is trying to bang on the keyboard while someone is typing. “Penelope, daddy is trying to type. Stop touching the keyboard”. Note the word “please” is not used. This is a command, not a plead for cooperation. The parent is not raising their voice or getting emotional.
Penelope’s hand quickly finds its way back to the keyboard. We take a step up the ladder. The parent moves closer to the child and remains calm. “I’m only going to say it one more time and you know daddy (or mommy, or other daddy or other mommy) only says things twice. Tak yiur jand offff the keybord nd o not rouchit egain”.
3 minutes later ….
Where was I? Oh yes, take the child to their room saying “OK Penelope, that’s it. Off to your room”. This is where the waterworks are turned on. Powering through the protest, the child is placed in her room, sitting in the designated corner. Dutiful parent waits outside the room listening to the cries. Yes, waiting there is required. This part is the hardest unless you have mental problems and like hearing children cry.
The next part is easy. Close the door. She recommends you leave them in there for 2 minutes x their age. That’s worked out about right for us. The only part that amazes me is she stays in the chair. (One day you may read this Penelope, and you will think the same thing). She cries and wails and then stops. She sits quietly. At the 3 – 4 minute mark I open the door and as though nothing has happened say “OK, lets do what we were doing”. Dr. Grosshans points out there should be no “now next time do what daddy said” or “do you know why you were placed in time out?”. Just leave it. The child knows why they were placed there.No rubbing their noses in it.
The few times I have used the above approach it’s as though a different child exits the room. I’ve even gotten hugs. Amazement doesn’t even scratch the surface.
And that’s about it.
Except.
Step 5. This step is used when the child is out of control. For instance you or someone you love (or a stranger, pet, piece of furniture, etc) are being kicked or punched. If so, she gives detailed instructions on how to hold the child close. You are the self-control for the child at this point. If this concept intrigues you, buy the book. Or even better, do what I did; go to your library and get it for free. You should easily be able to knock this one out in 2 weeks.
I have used “the hold” once. Before reading the book. One night Penelope was having a fit and hit me in the mouth. I drew her close to me. So close she couldn’t move but not suffocating. Her arms were locked at my side and she could not move her legs. After a moment of crying and fighting she relaxed. Everything was great. She got up and we finished our nightly routine without incident.
But what if I’m in public? Or at a friends house? Or one of many scenarios? I’m still reading the book but I can tell you she addresses these questions.
Easy to read, logical, and humane.
“You lookin’ at me?”
