Two Things Every Child Needs for Intrinsically Motivated Cooperation

Today’s guest post is brought to you by Marcilie Smith Boyle, who will be a featured expert on an upcoming episode of The Modern Mom Society Podcast!  Such an important topic – getting our kids to cooperate and do what we need them to do!!

Your child’s behavior is not the problem. Really.

If your child’s behavior is not the problem, then what is?

Some parents reply, “I’m the problem!”  It’s true that you may be part of the problem but here’s the real answer . . .

The problem is the problem. There’s always something deeper that causes the behavior to show up. Always.

Behavior is only what we see . . . it’s on the tip of the iceberg.

But under the surface children have beliefs, thoughts, feelings, and abilities (or lack thereof based on developmental stage and physical or neurological differences) that are driving what we see.

When we get curious, and look under the surface, we begin to see that  our kids want to do well, they want to please us and stayconnected, but something is getting in their way. Our job is then to figure out what that is . . .

Sometimes what’s getting in the way is a basic feeling of hunger or fatigue. We’ve all seen how hunger and fatigue can affect our kids’ behavior, right?

Sometimes what’s getting in the way is abilities or rather, the lack thereof. When we expect our kids to do something that they’ve not yet developed the skills to do, that can also end up looking like “misbehavior.” For example, if you tell your 4YO child to color inside the lines, they might throw the crayon or scream out of frustration.

But there’s something else that gets in the way.

Alfred Adler, the pioneering psychiatrist whose philosophy underlies Positive Discipline, proposed that very often, what’s getting in the way of behaving well are feelings, thoughts or beliefs having to do with two things:  Belonging and Significance.

Belonging:  I’m included, connected, loved

Significance:  I matter, I’m capable, I’m worthy

At the heart of Positive Discipline is the Adlerian theory (it’s really more fact than theory now) that all children (and adults) have a strong and basic need for belonging and significance.

And when children feel, believe, or think that these basic needs are not getting met, they will try to get their needs met, in whatever way they can think of, which might be to whine, or have a tantrum, or sneak, or any number of “misbehaviors.”

For example, if you believe you’re not included, not connected or loved enough after a new baby sibling comes home from the hospital, you might be more clingy or whiny, or you might try to push the baby off the bed (exactly what my oldest did at age 3.)

These are feelings, beliefs, and thoughts that can get in the way of doing or behaving well.

Think of yourself for a moment. When you feel rejected, (for example, how you might feel when you don’t get invited to the neighborhood Mom’s night out) or humiliated (when your boss criticizes you in front of the whole team), do you behave differently?

Most adults will admit that it’s hard not to behave differently because things like rejection and humiliation hurt.

Thanks to brain scan research using FMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging), we now know that the place in the brain that registers social pain is the same place in the brain that registers physical pain. (Read more about this fascinating research in Matthew Lieberman’s book, “Social”)

To the brain, a threat to my belonging or significance feels just like a threat to my physical safety, and before I know it I’m ready to fight (with defiance or back talk for example), or flee (avoiding, lying, sneaking, etc.), or flop (accept my fate as a boring and useless member of society and give up.)

The opposite is also true:  when belonging and significance are strongly felt, many misbehaviors simply disappear.

There’s no need for back talk when I feel connected and respected. There’s no reason to push the baby off the bed when I know I’m loved, valued, and needed as much as ever.

As Jane Nelsen of Positive Discipline frequently notes, “kids do better when they feel better” and “where did we get the crazy idea that in order to make kids do better, we have to make them feel worse?”

The opposite is true, and it’s true for me, too:  when I’m well-fed, well-slept, and when I feel loved, appreciated, respected, and capable, I do better – as a Mom and person in general.

So how do we help our children perceive that strong sense of belonging and significance (without feeding a sense of entitlement)?

One very easy thing to do is put your smart phone away and really listen to your child with your eyes, your body, and your heart. Deep listening is one sure way to send the message that “you matter, and I care about you.” This tool is called a GEM, a Genuine Encounter Moment and I swear when I use it, my child naturally gets more cooperative.

Another is to give your children meaningful responsibilities in the home, so that they learn life skills and create the belief that “I matter, I’m needed, I’m capable.”

These are just two of many tools that you’ll learn about in the interactive, online class I’m facilitating, “Peaceful Parents, Cooperative Kids:  from conflict and chaos to cooperation and calm in 8 weeks.”

You’ll also learn (and practice):

• My favorite 3-step ritual to stay cool, calm, and curious in the face of really irritating behavior
• How to set loving limits that stick
• Specific words you can use to foster resilience and a “Growth Mindset” in your child
• How to leverage your family team (including your partner) in household responsibilities
• Simple, tangible, and effective Positive Discipline tools to reduce defiance, tantrums, back talk and other challenging behaviors
• The one principle that matters most in helping your kids to become responsible, respectful, resourceful, and happy adults (and how to put that principle into practice every day)

So, if you’d like to

• yell less
• have fewer power struggles
• connect more
• share the load more
• feel more confident and peaceful in your parenting
• and raise children who are respectful, resilient, and plain old happy,

then please join me for an 8-week adventure that you can participate in from the comfort of your own home or office using video conference.

I’ll be using Zoom Meetings which feels about as much like a physical classroom as you can get without actually being in a room together. All classes are recorded so if you miss a class, you can catch up.

Register and get immediate access to my parenting resource web page loaded with tip sheets, videos, podcasts, and articles to help you become the parent you want to be.

It is my mission to equip, empower, and support parents so that they can raise respectful, responsible, and resourceful children who are excited about life and motivated to contribute their talents to the world.

Join me!  Learn more about the virtual class here.

This virtual class gets 4.6 out of 5 stars from over 100 participants.  Here’s what some of them have to say.

Marcilie Smith Boyle, Positive Discipline Trainer & Life Coach

Marcilie Smith Boyle is mother of three school-aged children, a Certified Positive Discipline Trainer and Certified Life and Leadership Coach who teaches Positive Discipline courses live and online, coaches individuals and groups on career transitions and parenting, as well as life coaching and executive leadership coaching.