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:

MONKEY TRAP

Question: How can I stop my third-grader from getting into trouble? We keep taking away privileges, but nothing works.

Behavior: Getting into trouble.

Problem: Escalating punishments not a deterrent.

Solution: Reverse course.

Activity: When what you're doing isn't working, consider doing the opposite. It's a little like letting go of the rope in a tug o' war. Back in my day care days, we had a similarly aged child behaving the same way, and I remember being surprised when my supervisor suggested we make the problem child an assistant. Instead of taking away privileges, we added responsibilities. We made him feel important and gave him a constructive focus. It worked. As we get emotional, we tend to get tunnel vision and stick to our plan long after it has failed. Sometimes, the way out of the monkey trap is to loosen our grip.

  • Want Rustin's solution for your child's challenging behavior? Send questions to naughtycolumn@gmail.com.

     

  • Read the Naughty Column archive at http://www.minnmoms.com/naughtycolumn.


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