When presenting the power of choice, remember you are in control of your own life and your behavior. Use this fact to enforce positive behavior on the youth’s part by showing how good choices lead to good outcomes, “I will read you a bed time story as soon as you are lying still in your bed.” The choice to be still or not is theirs, just as the choice to read them a story is yours. Threatening takes away the child’s power in a negative manner, “If you don’t quiet down now, there won’t be a bed time story tonight!” In all of this, it is most important to be loving, firm, and consistent.
Challenge: Notice how your language provides choices or challenges to your child this week.
