Does your child cross boundaries?

Recently this came up with a client, so I wanted to share it with you, too.  Our conversation was about a child who crossed other people’s physical boundaries: spanking, picking up smaller children when they didn’t want to be picked up, pulling on people, and the like.

 

Clear and kind explanations weren’t helping.  Stern talk wasn’t helping.  So, this parent asked, what would?

 

Ask for what you want

 

It’s a paradigm in education that you don’t focus on the negative behavior – instead, you ask for what you’d like to see.

 

I don’t want to tell a child to never lift another kid, or to never rough house, or even to never playfully spank.  I wouldn’t say, “that’s inappropriate,” simply because there are times when it is ok.  I don’t want to create shame or label a behavior as bad.  That tends to create more problems than it solves.

 

What I really care about is practicing consent.  If everyone is on board with playful spanking, go for it.

 

Now, for there to be consent, there has to be choice.  One person can’t simply make a move.  They have to ask.

 

That was my suggestion to this client.  Instead of trying to stop the “problem behavior,” focus on creating the filter.  Tell the child they have to ask.  Over and over again.

 

The DON’T Trap

 

Are there times when you tell your child, “Don’t ____”?  If it’s truly a 100% of the time DON’T, like, “Don’t ride your bike without a helmet,” then I’m all for it.  But, if it’s most or some of the time, try “You have to ask” instead.

 

My daughter likes to jump on me, her full weight hurtling my way.  I switched from “Don’t jump on me” and “Mama doesn’t like that” to “You have to ask.”  Know what happened?  She started asking!  And when she asks, I find that sometimes I say yes.  Win-win.

 

When your child asks, you get to let them know if you want that kind of play or touch, if the context is right for it.

 

Here’s a partial list of Don’ts which can be replaced with “You have to ask”:

• Don’t spank your friend’s butt
• Don’t tickle
• Don’t take your friend’s toy
• Don’t take your shirt off
• Don’t jump on me
• Don’t go off on your own
• Don’t throw the ball so hard

 

Why am I making such a big deal of this?  Because with a whole lot of Don’ts, we cobble together a functional reality eventually, but it can lack a deeper understanding of broad themes, and it fails to build consent skills.

 

Building Consent Skills

 

“You have to ask” takes it deeper.  There are the behaviors which go unchallenged (ok all the time), the have-to-ask behaviors (ok some of the time), and the Don’ts (never ok).  Not only do we create three clear categories, we make them practice skills.  They practice anticipating and filtering.  They practice checking in before proceeding.

 

This is a relatively small and painless shift on our part as parents and teachers – way easier than creating a system of consequences!  Give it a try and let me know how it goes.

 

In support of you,

 

Anya

 

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