Success Story from Heidi Hornbacher Cavagna (and her 2-year old friend) at IMPACT Los Angeles
I recently returned from a trip to Florida to visit a dear friend and her two-year old. One morning I went with them to her mommy-and-me type of pre-preschool. I'd been told the school focused on positive reinforcement and didn't believe in using words like 'NO'. I hoped I'd be able to bite my tongue in case of bad behavior.
At one point my friend's daughter was sitting playing with a toy when a little boy came over and shoved her. I snapped to attention waiting for an adult to intervene as he shoved again. None did as I was the only one watching the two of them at that moment. My friend's daughter stood up and he shoved her again. She made a little whine noise and I was about to step in with a nice "NO" for the boy - rules be damned! - when he shoved her one more time.
"Stop it!" she told him in no uncertain terms. "I don't like that."
And he did! I was so proud of her for standing up for herself and setting a boundary. I was so thrilled that she got to see her boundary work as intended. What a great lesson! I teared up and told my friend how awesome her baby girl is.
It's never too early to start setting good boundaries and to believe that you have the right to do so.
Comments