So here we are, Section III of the Parenting On Track™ Program; Tools of Necessity. We talked about The Rabbit Hole and The Slippery Slope.

So let’s start with the Rabbit Hole.

Now you know

• What the Rabbit Hole is
• How to identify if you are “in it”
• And 3 things to do to “get out of it”

Isn’t it nice, to finally have permission, from an expert in the field, me, to do what you have instinctively known all along? And won’t it be nice to look at the lady across the aisle or pew or soccer field who is giving you the hairy eyeball and feel confident enough to smile back at her and mouth “it’s okay, I know what I’m doing”. And doesn’t it just make your heart sing to know that instead of using a bulldozer to get yourself OUT of the Rabbit Hole, which of course, NEVER works, you have 3 wonderful strategies to employ that will have everyone reconnected within minutes so you can get back to what’s most important in your life – a healthy, happy relationship with your kids.

The Slippery Slope

Many of you learned on tonight’s show that without firm and kind, all those strategies you have been trying to use for years, will never work. Not now, not in a week, not in a month. Without firm and kind, you will turn all those delicious options into punishment. So remember

• Practice Firm and Kind until you really get the hang of it. Remember what I said about how long I practiced before I got all 3 components right – the voice, the face and the body language.
• When you have mastered firm and kind, begin experimenting with the strategies I introduced tonight.
• Not all strategies will work the same. Some will feel more natural, some will just down right stink. Some strategies will get instant results with one child and have absolutely no effect with another.
• The purpose of these strategies is to pause the action, give you time to breath, redirect the child so you can AVOID the Rabbit Hole and get yourself back on track and parenting from your best.
• If you use these strategies as your “go to’s” then the 13 weeks you just spent with me will be a total waste. Use these strategies on occasion, with thought and intention, to move yourself forward towards your goal.

Next week we will finish up with the Slippery Slope strategies. Until then, practice, practice, practice.