A preschool mom shared with me a great story that further underscores that many bedtime battles with older children are behavioral choices. Her son, age five, would come into her room at night saying he was scared. After some time she was confident he was not having bad dreams, but was coming to her as a way to get her to return to his room. She began to discuss the importance of sleep and how lack of sleep affects her. She told him that she is there for him when he is very scared, but coming into her room every night is affecting her sleep. She went on to explain that when she is overly tired she can't be a safe mom. She explained that if she gets too behind on her sleep that she will need to spend the night in a hotel room, so that she can be safe mom for him. After that he immediately stopped coming to her room! This is a great example of natural consequences that aren't designed to be punitive, but work to correct the behavior. Although going to spend the night in a hotel room may not work for every parent, putting creative thought to figuring out a natural consequence that will work with your child and sticking to it is priceless!

Posted by Child Works at 10:49 AM | Comments (58972)