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You sacrifice so much for your kids and sometimes they don't express gratitude and you don't want them to grow up feeling entitled and walking all over you. Or maybe your kids can't seem to control themselves. So how can you teach kids gratitude and self control in practical ways? That's what we're going to talk about on today's episode of the Calm Parenting Podcast. So welcome. This is Kirk Martin, founder of Celebrate Calm. You can find us@celebratecom.com if you need help, reach out to our son Casey C A S e y@celebratecalm.com Tell us about your kids. What are you struggling with? We get together as a family, discuss it, we reply back to you personally, usually very, very quickly. If you ever need help financially with any of our products, if you want to book a live event, just talk to Casey. It's awesome. So many of us have kids, right, that don't express gratitude. They struggle with self control. And so here is my least favorite way to address gratitude with a lecture. You know kids, it's really important for you that to learn to express gratitude in life because ick. I hate that. It's such a patronizing tone and it pretty much guarantees kids will stop listening. So here's a better way and I want to share kind of a more specific example of a couple that I'm mentoring through our phone calls. And I think it's perfectly fair to say the following in a very matter of fact way. So before you give your child extra time, extra privileges, in this case, the kids were kind of taking advantage of the parents because the parents are like, hey, I'll give you extra time, I'll give you privileges. But the kids aren't really responding the right way. So you could say this, hey guys, I'm going to give you extra time on screens or extra privileges. The grown up response is to say thank you and have gratitude. Now if you respond that way, it shows me you're growing up and can handle more freedom. If instead you whine and always ask for more, that shows me not you're not ready for the extra time. So I will actually take away or reduce the time that you actually get. The choice is up to you and how you respond. See, I like that you're just telling them, this is the way that we roll in the home and here are our exposure expectations. You're not getting all personal. You're making it a long lecture, right? You could set this expectation. Guys, the rule was that the TV is to be off by 8:00pm I'm willing to give you an extra 15 minutes. But if you want that in the future, here's my expectation that you will actually turn off the TV two minutes earlier. Why? Because that demonstrates self control. And say thank you for the extra time because that demonstrates gratitude and maturity. If you respond that way, you'll earn more time, more privileges. Do you think you can do that? Right. I'm just laying out an expectation, right, that you're going to turn it off two minutes early Because I like that and you're going to say thank you. That's my expectation. Think you can do that? Now? If your kids respond well and they make progress, then simply affirm it. Hey, nice job. That shows me you're growing up and you can continue to give them more freedom because they showed you they were capable of controlling themselves. If they continue to whine, don't lecture and don't whine yourself about their lack of gratitude. Instead, calmly, firmly get, get up, turn off the tv, enforce the time limit and go about your business. Do what you said you were going to do dispassionately until they begin to see that their choices affect their lives. But there's no need for lectures or aggravation or walking into the room. I can't believe that since I gave you all that extra time and you can't even do that, none of that instead, just do what you said you were going to do and do it dispassionately until they begin to see their choices affect their lives. You don't have to be frustrated, you don't have to be angry. You're just teaching them right now. It takes some consistency with that. So let's talk a little bit more about self control. Here is a small way to teach self control. And you may laugh at this, but. And it's okay if you do. I don't mind being laughed at, but when Casey. But it was highly effective. When Casey was young, we'd go to Red Robin, right, for burgers and fries. And so I began asking Casey this, hey, how many fries are we going to leave on our plate this time? And he rightly replied, duh, why would you not eat all of these thick, greasy, salty, yummy fries? And my reply was, well, to show that you can. And to show that you can leave a few on the plate and delay gratification. It's not like he ever said, dad, there's so much wisdom in that, I just can't wait to do it right. He didn't like it all the time, but he did it. And I wasn't trying to convince him or force him. I was leading him. I was modeling it for him. I was showing him self control in my own life. And this is critically important. The best way, you already heard the worst way, which is to lecture. The best way to teach self control and gratitude and kindness and everything else is to model it for your kids. What you do screams way louder than anything you say. Do your kids see you or your spouse being patient with other drivers, with people that are kind of in their way? Do your kids see you being your spouse or you being patient with your spouse, you know, as a couple together? Do your kids seeing you acting with gratitude in tough situations, do they see you exercising self control and delaying gratification when you want something? See, that's how the lessons get built into their DNA. Rather than simply forced on them or talked at them. They see their mom and, or their dad, preferably both, right? Modeling this in just everyday life. So I'll end this with one of our favorite tools and you'll hear this if you get the calm parenting package or get everything package, you'll hear this on the Discipline that Works program. This is one of my favorite ones. And it's this. You tell your kids, guys, here's the deal. This afternoon, I'm giving you 27 minutes of video game time. But here's how it works. I'm not going to remind you 10 times because you know how it works. Guys, remember, got to Turn it off. 7 minutes left. 3 minutes left. 1 minute left. And then you tell them, they're like, no, no, we just need to save it. We need to get the next level. And all this. I'm not doing that drama. So guys, you need to set your timer few minutes early. And here's why. I'm going to walk into this room in exactly 27 minutes if I even hear one peep about. Hold on. We need to save it. We need to get the next level. Or can we just have. It will tell me that you're not capable of handling this privilege. If that screen is still even flickering at all, you will have chosen to lose your video games for three days. I promise you, you don't turn it off in 27 minutes, you lose it for three days. The choice is up to you. So choose wisely and let me know if you need some help. Go.
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With a win, right? And so then, and look, here's why, partially why I like it. You're just laying it out very, very clearly, right? And you're saying you will, you have a choice. Your choice determines what happens from now, right? You will have chosen to lose your video games, right? Because they're going to be like, you're so mean, you're taking it away. No, this is your choice, guys. Totally up to you. Notice also the tone of voice. I don't need you to do it. I don't have to have you. You don't have to behave. I don't need you to behave. I don't need you to do this. Totally up to you. It's your choice. Just let you know the way I roll in home. So here's what I want you to do. You walk into that room after 27 minutes. But I guarantee this is what you're going to find. Your kids are still going to be playing their video games. Why? Because that's their job. To push the limits, to test you and then to argue and negotiate with you. Right? And if they've done that successfully in the past, then you should apologize to them. Not groveling. Apologize. Hey guys, I apologize. I've created the expectation that you don't actually have to listen to me. I've created the expectation that you could wear me down by arguing, crying, yelling and throwing a tantrum. And I'm sorry I taught you that. That would work with me from now on. It's not going to work. So you walk in confidently, even quietly and just say in a low key tone, hey guys, just wanted to remind you that you just chose to lose your video games for the next three days. Now, how are they going to respond? Mother, father, it means so much to us that you enforce boundaries and say no. It makes us feel safe as children. Of course they're not going to say that. Instead you're going to hear whining, complaining, gnashing of teeth, disrespectful Words that you're mean and stupid. Don't be shocked. Don't take it personally. They're not mad at you. They're mad at themselves for making a bad decision. So what do you do? Just do what you said you were going to do. In our curriculum, we don't call it enforcing consequences as much as we call it keeping your promises. That's golden, right? Hey, I'm making promise to you. If you choose to do X, here's what I'm going to do. Not going to lecture you. I'm not going to be mad at you. I'm not angry. I'm simply doing what I told you I was going to do. Because I keep my promises. Why? So that you can trust me, right? You promised this would happen and now it has. That's integrity and consistency and you keeping your promises so they can count on you right now. After three days go by, you can begin to teach self control. Guys, here's the deal. You get your video games back today. I'm going to give you 27 minutes again. But here's what we're going to do. Little twist here. If you can turn off your video games after 27, after 25 minutes, two minutes early, after 24, five minutes of playing, I will give you an additional four minutes tomorrow night to play. So you actually get 21 minutes, right? So if you guys turn it off two minutes early, I'll give you an additional four minutes to play. You're making it fun. You're giving them an incentive delay gratification tonight by giving up two minutes to get an additional four minutes the next night. See, it's a concrete way to teach this during doing something that they enjoy playing on their screens. See, if they stick to 27 minutes, awesome. Just affirm them with a fist bump and they get to live to play another day, right? If they go over 27 minutes, just repeat the cycle until they get it. No drama, guys. You just chose to lose for another three days. That's not fair. We didn't think you'd do it. You're awful. You're mean. Nobody else's parents do this. There's no response to that. I just do what I said I was going to do, right? But when that day comes and they say, mom, dad, we turned off our video games two minutes early. Now you get to come in with a nice big fist bump and a short matter of fact. Hey, well done. That's called self control, boys. That shows me you're growing up. Father can't even do that. I'M kidding about the last part. Possibly. But now you're teaching them and you're showing them, right? That's what I want to do. So this week, what are we going to do? No long lectures, no whining and complaining yourself, Right? I simply want you one to model things for your kids. How to handle disappointment, how to be grateful when things don't always go the right way, how. And then how to exercise self control. That means not lecturing a lot. That means. Look, I only have one way to say this. That means dad's out there. You have to stop reacting and losing control of your own emotions. You simply can't react all the time and lose your own emotions and yell and scream and then turn around and expect your kids to exercise. Any matter of self control when you can't do it applies to you as well. Moms, right? But for dads out there, you've got your kids are watching you and so I want you to exercise that. So listen to the 30 days to calm program, right? Go through that. Email me while you're going through it, tell me what your triggers are. I will personally help you. If you put the time, if you invest that time and yes, you invest your money in getting these programs and going through them and you email me, I will answer you personally. Let's invest in this together because I want your family to change. If you want more ways to teach your kids self control and gratitude and how to control their screens, just go through the programs. Right? Start that now. Listen on the app. It's easy. If you need help with that, text Casey or email Casey. So thank you for listening. I think you can do this. I believe in you. I believe you're capable. I believe you can break some generational patterns so your kids grow up and they are grateful and they do have self control. That would be awesome. So if we can help you, let us know. Love you all. Bye.
Calm Parenting Podcast: Episode Summary
Title: How to Teach Kids Self-Control & Gratitude
Host: Kirk Martin
Release Date: March 26, 2023
In this enlightening episode of the Calm Parenting Podcast, Kirk Martin delves into effective strategies for cultivating self-control and gratitude in children. Recognizing the challenges parents face with strong-willed kids who resist consequences and engage in constant power struggles, Kirk offers practical, research-based solutions to foster positive behavioral changes without resorting to yelling or prolonged lectures.
Kirk opens by addressing a common frustration among parents: children who do not express gratitude and struggle with self-control. These issues often manifest as entitlement, defiance, and resistance to following rules or respecting boundaries.
Kirk Martin ([01:45]): "So many of us have kids that don't express gratitude and struggle with self-control."
Kirk critiques the conventional approach of lecturing children about the importance of gratitude and self-control. He emphasizes that lectures often come across as patronizing, causing children to disengage and become less receptive to the intended message.
Kirk Martin ([02:10]): "Addressing gratitude with a lecture is my least favorite way because it just makes kids stop listening."
Instead of lectures, Kirk advocates for establishing clear, matter-of-fact expectations. He provides a scenario where parents offer extra screen time or privileges contingent upon the child's display of gratitude and self-control.
Kirk Martin ([03:00]): "Here's a fair way to set expectations: If you respond with gratitude, it shows you're ready for more freedom. If not, privileges will be reduced."
This approach not only communicates the rules effectively but also empowers children by making them aware of the consequences of their actions without emotional manipulation.
Kirk underscores the importance of parents modeling the behaviors they wish to see in their children. Demonstrating patience, gratitude, and self-control in daily interactions provides a powerful, non-verbal lesson for kids.
Kirk Martin ([04:30]): "The best way to teach self-control and gratitude is to model it. What you do speaks louder than words."
Kirk shares actionable techniques to instill self-control in children. One such method involves negotiating screen time with clear boundaries and consequences for overstepping.
Kirk Martin ([05:45]): "Give your child a set amount of video game time but enforce a strict cutoff. If they resist, calmly remove the privilege without drama."
He recounts a personal example of encouraging his son to practice self-control by leaving fries uneaten at Red Robin, demonstrating delayed gratification without coercion.
Kirk Martin ([06:20]): "When Casey was young, I'd ask how many fries he wanted to leave on his plate. This simple act taught him self-control over his desires."
Maintaining consistency is crucial for effective parenting. Kirk emphasizes the importance of keeping promises and following through with established consequences to build trust and reliability.
Kirk Martin ([07:10]): "We don't call it enforcing consequences; we call it keeping your promises. This builds trust and shows integrity."
He advises parents to remain calm and detached when enforcing rules, avoiding emotional reactions that can undermine their authority and the lesson being taught.
Kirk highlights the value of rewarding small successes to motivate children. By offering slight increases in privileges when children meet expectations, parents can encourage ongoing self-improvement.
Kirk Martin ([08:05]): "If your child turns off their video games a few minutes early, reward them with additional playtime the next day. This reinforces positive behavior incrementally."
Wrapping up the episode, Kirk offers words of encouragement to parents struggling with these challenges. He emphasizes belief in their ability to effect change and break negative generational patterns, fostering a household where gratitude and self-control thrive.
Kirk Martin ([09:00]): "I believe in you. You can break generational patterns so your kids grow up grateful and self-controlled."
He invites listeners to engage further with the Calm Parenting resources and programs for additional support and guidance.
Kirk Martin's insightful guidance provides a roadmap for parents seeking to nurture self-discipline and appreciation in their children, ultimately fostering a more harmonious and respectful family dynamic.
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