Saturday, February 13, 2010

HUGS - A Positive Discipline Valentines Day Tool Card



Children do better when they feel better - and so do you.
Hugs help us feel better.


1) When your child is having a tantrum, try asking for a hug.
2) If your child says, “No”, say, “I need a hug” a second time.
3) If your child says no again, say “I need a hug. Come find me when you are ready”, and then walk away.  You might be surprised at what happens.


What a great tool card! Everybody could use more hugs and this is a perfect week to focus on giving our children more hugs. The tool card mentions giving a hug when your child is having a tantrum, but we certainly don't need to wait for a tantrum to give a hug. Some of us may not be very good huggers (myself included), so let's use this opportunity to get a lot of practice!

I can't hear the word "Hugs" without thinking about the music video below. Enjoy!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

As if this isn't a fun enough card to be self motivating for all participants to look forward to practicing all week, here's news that hugs are good for you too! http://www.annlouise.com/blog/2010/02/12/how-a-hug-can-protect-your-heart/

Love the video - thanks for the link!

Anonymous said...

I just love that video! Looking forward to a cozy week with lots of hugs :)

Shantell Brightman said...

I love this...especially because I know that sometimes I just need or want a hug to help me feel better. Why wouldn't our children? Thank you for this reminder!

Sawdust Girl said...

I have a dozen parenting books on my desk, none of which I have actually finished reading. They all have great ideas and concepts but there is just soooo much information in them. I love the tool cards. Short, specific, become a better parent one action point at a time. This "Hugs" idea hits home. My daughter is 11 and asks for and offers hugs constantly. If I stub my toe or the printer jambs or I burn my toast...she offers to fix it with a hug. I have been finding this irritating because I am a practical and (sometimes) rational person and a hug isn't going to make burnt toast taste better...but apparently she feels bad when unpleasant things happen to me, even if I consider them no big deal. This week I'm committing myself to joyfully participating in all of the 10,000 hugs that she offers and asks for each day. Thanks for sharing your experiences and letting us learn to be better parents along with you.