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As Labor Day has passed, by now, all children have either already started their school year or will be starting their first day of school today.

Each family and teacher disciplines differently and develops their own plan for managing negative behavior. Some like to use rewards to motivate positive behaviors while others may like to use consequences to discourage negative behaviors. Because I recognize that kids are different and families have different experiences, I work to help parents and teachers find the best option that works for them.

Do you feel like you are constantly placing a kid in time out or taking away some privilege, just to see the child doing the exact same thing 5 minutes later?

Four-year-old Harrison and his friend Tyler are playing in Harrison’s bedroom. The boys are laughing and having fun together when Harrison’s mom sneaks by the bedroom to see what they are doing.

Of all of the negative behaviors that a child could have, aggression seems to be the one that upsets adults the most. When a child is aggressive—either at home or in the classroom—parents and teachers have to stay nearby, predicting the next event that is going to set the child off, in order to prevent the child from hurting others in his vicinity.

So often, adults make the mistake of thinking that play is a waste of time for kids. They encourage their children to spend their time learning, instead of wasting time playing and having fun.

The game that I suggested for helping to teach these skills can be very fun and very effective in teaching kids to listen. But often times when I talk with parents andchild care providers about using this game, adults are concerned about children learning to listen to anything that anyone tells them to do.

One of the biggest complaints I get from parents is, “He just won’t listen to me! ”Adults really want kids to listen to them and comply with their demands instantly, because that’s just the way the world works, right? Wrong!

In last week’s blog, I revealed a shocking study that noted the impact that income level has on a child’s development of language skills.