Not long ago, I had a session with a mother whose little boy had meltdowns almost every day. Watching them together told me much about what was fueling his explosiveness. If he complained that he was hungry, she told him he wasnt. (You had a snack an hour ago!) When he said he wanted to sit in her lap, she scolded him for acting like a baby. Each time this little guy expressed a feeling, she did her best to convince him that it was wrong. Our work has been focused on helping Mom acknowledge what her little boy is experiencing--without necessarily caving in-- instead of invalidating his feelings. Already...progress! Fewer meltdowns as she gets more comfortable with what I call ACT I parenting, coming ALONGSIDE rather than AT her son so she can get to the root of his upsets. Small shifts make such big differences!
Posted on: Sat, 20 Sep 2014 14:25:01 +0000