Summary: Today we get to learn more about why your child behaves the way they do.<br> <br> Last week, we learned that the factors that most affect your child’s behavior can be put into two categories: Nature and Nurture.<br> <br> <br> <br> Let’s review what the differences are between nature and nurture:<br> <br> Nature: Internal influences/factors<br> <br> Your child’s genetics (family history) or if they were born pre-maturely.<br> These are issues you child will deal with their entire life<br> If diagnosed early on, you can proactively give your child the tools they will need to be able to become happy, healthy adults<br> <br> Nurture: External influences/factors (further discussed in next week’s episode)<br> <br> The environmental factors that affect your child’s behavior: Events at school, trauma, parenting styles, etc.<br> <br> Note: some parents take too much ownership of their child’s behavior and some parents aren’t taking enough. We hope to help you see if there is something you need to tweak as a parent or if you are doing great and your child is the one that needs some additional help.<br> More About Nurture: External Influences<br> We will start with the most important factor....PARENTING.<br> <br> The most important lesson that any therapist will teach you about parenting is that consistency is key! <br> <br> Consistent parenting approaches and consistent follow through from everyone in your home who is the parent/guardian is critical!<br> <br> Inconsistency among parents is EXTREMELY common and not something to be ashamed of. However, it can create a wedge between partners while also teaching children that if they don’t like the way you’re parenting, they can just approach the other parent.<br> <br> Being consistent with follow through will teach your kids that you mean what you say and that you will follow through. It teaches them that they can't get away with things if they just keep pushing and pushing. It teaches them that you are indeed the alpha in your home, not them.<br> <br> We know being consistent is SO hard, especially at first, but consistency will make your life so much easier in the future! <br> <br> You need to be consistent with the healthiest parenting style. <br> <br> We want you to be consistent with the type of parenting that is best to be consistent with. There are four different types of parenting styles, but only one that is the healthiest for you and your kids. We’ll use scientific beakers to represent the parenting styles. We’ll call them Beakers A-D.<br> <br> Beaker A<br> <br> <br> <br> Characteristics: This beaker in very narrow from the bottom to the top. This represents parents who have very narrow boundaries and freedoms from birth on. Children in these homes are always told what to do and are expected to do it immediately, no questions asked. These parents focus on discipline and not on warmth or connection with their kids.<br> <br> Outcome: These children may respect authority and learn to be hard workers. However, children of these parents will often do one of the following. First, they will move out, experience freedom for the first time, and go WILD. Second, they will seek a relationship where their boss/partner tells them what to do all the time. They were told what to do all growing up and standing up for themselves/thinking for themselves is very uncomfortable.<br> <br> <br> <br> Beaker B<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Characteristics: This is a wide beaker from the bottom to the top. This represents parents who give their children very wide boundaries and freedoms from birth on. These parents rarely let their children experience consequences to their actions. They bail their children out of difficult situations. They may try to put their foot down occasionally, but when the child starts pushing back,
