I don’t know why I’ve sat on this tip for SO long, because I’ve used it for years and it’s probably the best behavioral management tip I’ve ever gotten in my parenting.
A genius and wonderful friend of mine shared this with me, and it is everything. Also, it’s very video game-like, if I do say so myself.
Why? Because one of the things video games often do well, is they give players a difficult but achievable goal, and they also give them ways to practice reaching that goal. If they fail, the game provides ways of starting over and trying again, *without* punishment.
Obviously this changes from game to game; sometimes we lose progress, or items, and other times we can literally rewind time and try again (Braid? Super Meat Boy? Anyone? Bueller?)
This “rewind” tip is the same- if it’s a quick “mis-speak” and we know our kids (or us) can quickly correct, we can just rewind. If it needs some re-teaching or teaching of expectations or alternatives they can say, then we can give that as a “logical consequence” and then rewind to give them another chance.
And my favorite thing about this is that it’s playful. It keeps the mood from getting too serious, and keeps the emphasis where it should be- on the skill we want our child to build, and our connection with them.
Do you do anything like this? And if so do you make VHS rewind noises like I do?
