Page 97 - The Intentional Parent

very compliant, eager to please kind of child you have no worries. Say and do whatever you want. There are actually kids who are so easy to manage that all you have to do is feed and water them and they grow up to be close to perfect. This isn’t a joke. Some kids are very easy to raise. There is certainly a genetic luck of the draw to your kid’s personality.
I am talking directly to the parents of kids with “average” to “difficult” temperaments. Kids who have to be cajoled from place to place, encouraged to do their chores, kids who push back, are down right surly or mouthy -- you know, most kids!
What it comes down to is that effective leaders use:
1.assertive communication 2.verbal cues
3.verbal rewards and support 4.concise and compact information
Let’s see how these two approaches work, when speaking with a child about poor homework effort.
Approach 1
I’d like to talk to you about your homework. What kind of effort do you think you have been putting into it lately? Are you feeling frustrated? Do you think I should have a talk with your teacher? What can I do to help you get that homework done? Etc...
Contrast this to:
Approach 2
The Intentional Parent by Peter J. Favaro, Ph.D. 97