Positive Affirmation August 24
Have you ever noticed how people react when you negatively respond to a negative behavior? Unfortunately, they often become defensive. Invariably, If I yell at one of my kids, she blames her sister instead of taking resopnsibility for her own actions. “But she made me do it!” (We are working on changing this behavior.) Sadly, often adults react in much the same way.
Consider the flip side. What’s the reaction when you positively affirm a positive action? You usually get positive behavior that continues for an extended period of time.
Can you tell I’ve had some experience with this? My younger daughter is very high energy and passionate. This can get her into a lot of trouble. Over the years, she has had teachers that deal with this in a negative way, which sends her (and her parents) into a downward spiral. She has also had teachers that have worked to reinforce the positive. When she has this type of teacher, she consistently puts her best foot forward and does all she can to please that teacher.
As her mom, you would think I would practice the “emphasize the positive” form of discipline on a regular basis. Sadly, I’m not that perfect. There are so many times when I loose patience, and there are times that require “punishment”. But after a week or so of downward spiral, I finally remember to take a deep breath, find something that she is doing well, and make a huge deal over it. Instantly, the tone of the household changes.
If only I could remember that when dealing with the adults in my life!