Describe: “I see a jacket on the floor.”

It’s very hard to learn to tell an uncomfortable truth. We help our children face up to this challenge when we minimize the accusations, let them know we understand how they feel, and show them how to make amends.

One of the best things we can do for children in times of stress is to give them time to recover from the physical changes of anger, fear, and frustration.

It can make us feel threatened.

One of the lessons I learned about communicating with my son was to adjust my expectations of how long it should take him to respond.

All feelings can be accepted. Some actions must be limited!

“Your 6:00 p.m. bath is ready, sir!”

The point is that we can’t behave right when we don’t feel right. And kids can’t behave right when they don’t feel right. If we don’t take care of their feelings first, we have little chance of engaging their cooperation. All we’ll have left going for us is our ability to use greater force.

Beyond talking objects and making a game out of a chore, the field is wide open.