Why adult imposed consequences don’t work with kids (So, what does?)

I have always been a fan of Dr. Ross Greene‘s work. I have read his books and attended several of his workshops and lectures. Most recently, I participated in a two day conference, led by him, in Toronto. I was inspired and grateful to learn more about his collaborative approach to working with kids of all ages, and honoured that he agreed to join me as a guest on this podcast, in order to impart some of his wisdom to you, too.

Over the course of this episode, you will learn more about:

  • The choices parents have when they’re faced with needing to deal with a situation related to their child’s “difficult” behaviour.
  • Whether punishments such as suspension from school or time out at home solves the problem and if not, why not.
  • Whether natural and logical consequences unilaterally imposed on children who do not “follow through,” solves the problem and if not, why not.
  • How to implement Dr. Ross Greene’s Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model, including:
    • Effective ways to understand the problem and invite collaboration from a child
    • How to move from looking through the lens of seeing the child as having a problem behaviour, and instead identify the problem as one related to lagging skills and unmet expectations
    • The crucial steps that a parent or teacher, for example, would need to take in order to understand why the child is “stuck” and how to solve the problem
    • The age or developmental stage at which a child can be included or involved in this process, and whether there are any children who may not be able to participate
    • what to say and do when a child says “I don’t know” when trying to engage them in helping you understand the problem
  • How the CPS Model can change the lives of parents, teachers and caregivers so that neither punishment nor consequence needs to be imposed again
  • Resources that can help you learn even more