Learning Curves 133- You may be agreeing to solutions that aren’t realistic,
doable, and mutually satisfactor y. Better to keep talk-
ing now than to agree on a solution that’s only going
to precipitate an explosion later. - You’re feeling like you’re not ver y good at Plan B yet, so
you’ve been using a lot of Plan C instead and have been
feeling as if your concerns aren’t being addressed.By
definition, your concerns won’t be addressed with
Plan C. No one is great at Plan B in the beginning.
You and your child are getting good at this together. - You’re feeling as if you’re not ver y good at Plan B yet, so
you’re still using a lot of Plan A instead. Remember
empathy (not “no”) is the first step of Plan B. Empa-
thy, not “no.” Then do the remaining two steps.
But the most common reason things don’t go well
with Plan B is missing steps. You’re not using Plan B un-
less you’re doing the three steps in the prescribed order:
- Empathy (plus Reassurance)
- Define the Problem
- Invitation
You may be routinely skipping a step. Let’s take a closer
look.