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| Good behaviour leads to receiving attention! |
In an article entitled "Improve Kids’ Behavior: Catch Them Being Good" published on PsychCentral, Christy Matta, trainer, consultant and writer, shows how focusing on good behaviour can help to alter the behaviour of children, by encouraging them to act appropriately. Children crave for and need the attention of their parents. It is a natural response, when confronted with difficult behaviour, in an attempt to educate the child, to address the misbehaviour. Both programs mentioned in the article, teacher-child interaction therapy (TCIT) and Parent-child interaction therapy (PCIT) encourage parents and educators, on the contrary, to focus on the good behaviour, giving attention to the child for good behaviour.
The question that arises has to do with the amount of attention children are getting. In fact, attention from the parents seems to me to be one of the basis rights of children and the idea of 'ignoring children', knowing how important attention is for children's self-esteem and their own development might be too extreme to me. I would rather say that children should get even more attention when they are behaving.