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Creativity expert, professor, father and former day-care provider Rustin Wolfe writes a weekly MinnMoms parenting advice column that uses creative punishments to put a positive spin on negative behavior.
Here's one of his creative solutions:
ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY
Question: What do you suggest to do about a 2-year-old who bites people?
Behavior: Biting.
Problem: Pain and potential infection.
Solution: Motive matters. The biting must be stopped regardless of motive, but a good solution needs to be a fit with the cause. When my eldest was 2, he went through a biting phase. He'd get so excited, he couldn't contain himself. The solution was to slow things down.
Activity: First, the obvious: Be more aware of where his teeth are. When possible, don't put yourself in a position where you could be bitten. Inevitably, though, he'll get an opening. If he's like my son — biting because he's over-stimulated — when he does bite, walk away. Tell him you don't want to play with someone who's biting you. Let him stew. That will be far more effective than yelling or punishing. At 2, he'll have trouble making sense of lost privileges, and biting him back would teach him violence is acceptable if you're bigger.
