Intermediate, ages 2-18
Let the child experience the natural results of misbehavior. These results should not be physically harmful to the child. The natural consequences of the behavior should be sufficiently unpleasant to motivate the child to change.
Examples:
✔ Mother has warned her 3-year-old about rough play with his trucks. She remains quiet one afternoon when she sees him banging it on the floor. After a few moments, the truck breaks and the child begins to cry.
✔ Instead of getting himself up for work when his alarm goes off, a teenager has consistently overslept. To this point, his parents have managed to get him to work on time by nagging at him to get him up. Tired of the badgering, his parents have warned him he is now on his own. One morning, father hears the alarm but does nothing to wake his son. The young man is late for work and is reprimanded by his boss. He now wakes up promptly when his alarm sounds.
Next: Tool 48