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Sonja Preston

Self-Regulation is a Parenting Skill

May 6, 2019/in 1 - 3 Years, 3 - 5 Years, Intellectual, Social - Emotional /by Sonja Preston

Imagine this (and some of you won’t need to imagine it, this will have been just like your day!)….

It’s 5pm, and you haven’t started dinner yet. In fact, you don’t even know what you are going to have for dinner, because you just remembered to take the mince out of the freezer at 4pm! Your toddler is getting cranky and really should be in the bath, but your 6 year old needs your help with listening to him read his school reader. The cat is circling you waiting for it’s dinner. The phone rings and you have a headache. Now if that was your day, then you may well want to scream, to pass the kids over to hubby when he gets home, or to run away. Our impulse is to go away. The reality is that we can’t do that, and we know that somehow we will muddle our way through it. We’ll decide that the toddler needs bed more than a bath, that toast is dinner tonight, and that headache pills come before the cats miaowing. We know we will get through it, because we have succeeded before, and we’ve learnt some skills along the way – thank goodness!

We weren’t born knowing how to do that – how to regulate our emotions and systematically work through the tasks in a priority, skillful manner. It is a learnt skill.

Read more

https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/14601014695_dd8c815c39_o.jpg 343 610 Sonja Preston https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TPC-Logo.svg Sonja Preston2019-05-06 06:00:032019-04-29 14:41:34Self-Regulation is a Parenting Skill
Sonja Preston

How Would You Go with the Marshmellow Test?

July 4, 2016/in 1 - 3 Years, 3 - 5 Years, Intellectual, Social - Emotional /by Sonja Preston

In the 1960’s an experiment was conducted regarding impulse control ie the ability to wait, even when you didn’t want to.

It was conducted by psychologist Walter Mischel, and involved sitting a 4 year old at a table in a room. On the table was a plate with one marshmellow on it. The Researcher told the child that she had to leave the room, and that the child could eat the marshmellow whenever they wanted, but if they waited till she (the Researcher) returned then they could have two marshmellows. For most children, marshmellow are a very appealing treat. The Researcher then left the room for 15 mins – an incredibly long time for a 4 year old to wait! The children’s responses to the ‘task’ were videoed.

If you watch the video on Youtube, you will see are the many ways the children try to not eat the marshmellow now, as they really want the second one. Read more

https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/5194441375_212ea541a1_z.jpg 480 640 Sonja Preston https://theparentingcafe.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/TPC-Logo.svg Sonja Preston2016-07-04 08:30:072016-07-04 08:09:23How Would You Go with the Marshmellow Test?

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