Parenting Toddlers Sometimes Requires Us to Be Creative

I get so many great ideas from parents. Tonight I gave a workshop called: “Positive Parenting for Toddlers”. There were about twenty-five parents in attendance. One mom put her hand up and asked me if she thought it was Ok to let her son bring his teddy into the bathroom with him while he brushed his teeth. I had been talking about how we can word things differently to get the results we’re looking for. She noticed that when she tells her son it’s time to brush his teeth he doesn’t like to stop what he’s doing so she says: “You can bring your teddy into the bathroom with you and let him watch you brush your teeth.” “Is that OK?” she asked me. I told her I thought her idea was brilliant. She said sometimes he’s holding an apple and doesn’t want to let it go so she says: “You can put bring your apple with you and your apple can watch you brush your teeth.” Her son complies everytime. I told the group that sometimes we have to get creative. What a great example of creativity! It’s also a very good example of “positive parenting.”