Your tiny infant is growing into a toddler. Your toddler is growing into a pre-schooler. Your pre-schooler is growing into a young child.
It can be exhausting to keep up with the developmental changes as you try to stay one-step-ahead. Educated and successful people are often not prepared, mentally or emotionally, to effectively meet their parenting responsibilities. The most loving, well-intentioned parents are often working too hard!
Start Small Parenting is all about helping parents regain personal balance while growing 3R’s kids.
3R’s of Positive Behavior
Start Small Parenting offers tools to increase healthy family relationships by showing parents and children simple ways to be more respectful, responsible, and reliable. Based on The 3R’s of Positive Behavior, these tools were developed by Gailen Keeling in his family therapy practice of 45 years.
When disruptive behavior occurs at home, it can minimize the feelings of love and respect that parents are trying to foster. The 3R’s tools help to fortify a peaceful, loving environment in the home and allow for there to be a lot more fun!
BENEFITS of 3R’s Parenting
- Reduces stress, anger, and overall volume in the home
- Creates a loving environment where children can learn and grow
- Provides healthy alternatives to punishment, coercion, and rewards
- Shows children how to take responsibility for their own behavior
- Ends each day with loving energy for a great start on the next one
Thematic vs. Problem/Solution
Many parenting guides, websites, and classes target a Problem/Solution approach. Each situation that arises is looked at as something to be addressed separately. It can be exhausting as a parent to keep track of it all. Here are some common examples of questions:
When my daughter bites her playmate, what do I do?
When my son steals a coveted Darth Vader Lego from the neighbor boy, what do I do?
When my son has a tantrum, what do I do?
These are absolutely valid questions. But addressing them individually can lead to ineffectiveness on the part of the parent. In a distressing moment–un-empowered to handle the next seemingly different situation–confusion ensues.
Thematic parenting takes a theme like RESPECT and applies it to everyone and everything involved. It allows for calm and confident parenting.
Improve Your Parenting and Increase Your Enjoyment
Read the articles here on the blog. Or take the Start Small Parenting Course. Comment. Ask questions. Parenting is going to get a whole lot easier!
