Lisa was playing on her phone. It
was a fun game, she was scoring points and she had high scores. She wanted to keep going to the next level and the next…...
But Mom said, Lisa please put away the phone and come for dinner to the table.
Lisa did not hear.
Mom said again “Lisa, please put away the phone, come for dinner to the table.’
Lisa did not hear.
Mom said again ‘ LISA please put the phone away, and come for dinner’.
Lisa heard her, but she did not want to put the phone away. She was winning. ‘Yes, I am coming’ she said and kept playing.
Mom walked in close and held her hand out “Lisa please give me the phone’.
Lisa looked up but she kept playing. “ I want to get to the next level, Mom’’.
Mom said “please give me the phone” and extended her hand.
Lisa got upset and she cried, she pouted, she mouthed, she ran up to her room.
So what’s a Mom to do , what’s Lisa to do
To Parents: Be Calm, Be consistent when you provide discipline, model appropriate behavior. If possible be aware of why you lose your temper and your consistent behavior.
Here are some other suggestions
Set a time limit before the child starts to play, (yes the first day it's going to end in melt down, but over time it gets better)
Give a five minute warning and be consistent
Walk up to the child and make eye contact before giving instruction
Make sure the instruction is followed the first time
Praise, be very specific about the behavior that you are praising.
If you would like more information, or would like to make an appointment please contact Dr. Datta @201-952-9905