docking system, natural consequences, charting, and the counting
variation. Start behavior strategies, as you can probably guess,
require a little more thought and effort than counting does.
Strategies for Encouraging Good BehaviorFor Start behavior, such as:
Picking up
Eating
Homework
Bedtime
Up and out in the morningUse praise, simple requests, kitchen timers, the docking system, natural
consequences, charting, and the counting variation.Choosing Your Strategy
Why the difference in strategies between Parenting Jobs 1 and 2? The
answer lies in the issue of motivation. If she is motivated, how long
does it take a child to terminate an irritating Stop behavior like
whining, arguing, or teasing? The answer is about one second. It’s
really not a big project. Depending on how angry or oppositional a
child is, ending an occurrence of obnoxious behavior doesn’t take
tons of effort.
But now look at Start behavior. How long does it take a child to
accomplish something constructive, like eating dinner? Maybe twenty
to twenty-five minutes. To pick up after himself? Perhaps fifteen
minutes. To get ready for bed? Twenty to thirty minutes. Ready for
school? Thirty minutes. Homework? Schoolwork might take
anywhere from forty minutes to three years. So it’s obvious that with
Start behavior, more motivation is required from the child. He has to
begin the project, keep at it, and then finish. And the project is often