Catch Yourself Being a Good Parent

Have you ever tried the behavioral technique of "catching your child being good"? It's a great way to put behavior management on a positive footing by focusing on and reinforcing the things your youngster does right. According to Barbara Probst, author of When the Labels Don't Fit, it's not a bad outlook to apply to your own hard-working parenting self, too.

In an excerpt from the book recently posted for the Harried Parent's Book Club, Probst recommends that parents jot down one parenting moment every day that they're proud of, whether it's handling something skillfully or knowing when a child is ready to handle something herself. The excerpt also includes a second tip for inspiring yourself to improve your parenting behavior.

I guess my parenting high-five moment today involved the way I carved myself out of bed when my daughter woke me to share some work she'd done on a little project I set for her. My body wanted sleep, but my brain and my heart knew it was important to recognize the effort my very early riser was putting in on something that was as hard for her as waking up is for me. Did you catch yourself parenting well today? Share in the comments.

Read more: Special Needs News | Site of the Day | Behavior Analysis Basics

_{Cover image courtesy of Three Rivers Press}