Teaching Tinies: Thea Walker

💵𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗶𝘁 𝘽𝙐𝙔 𝙉𝙊𝙒💵⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘! If you could go back and tell yourself 1 thing about buying toys, what would it be? ⁣
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💁🏻‍♀️Throw out all of your preconceived notions of what your child NEEDS in order to play. ⁣
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🙅🏻‍♀️Get rid of that picture you’ve saved on IG of⁣
what your toy room should look like. ⁣
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🤫Let me tell you a secret, the solution to promoting play in your child isn’t going to be found in a new toy!⁣
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✨𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘭✨⁣
A tool to use in multiple ways, to develop creativity, problem solving, risk management, social skills, cooperation, an to learn to use existing skills in different ways. ⁣
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⭐️𝘚𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘵𝘰𝘺 𝘳𝘶𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵⭐️⁣
➕Does the toy reflect your child’s unique interests? Or is it an interest you think they should have? ⁣
👉🏽Society tells us our girls should want Barbies and our boys should want the trucks, right? But it is ok if your child isn’t interested in those things!⁣
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➕Does my child’s play spaces support their learning? ⁣
👉🏽I know we want that Pinterest worthy playroom. But remember, you and your child are UNIQUE! When organizing your playroom, are toys accessible? Organized in a way that encourages play? Do the specific items meet your child where they are in their learning? ⁣
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➕Can this toy be used in multiple ways, with multiple children, across different ages? ⁣
👉🏽Remember, this isn’t about how we think our child SHOULD play. Play looks different for all children. Give them access to materials that support that. ⁣
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➕Do I have too many toys? ⁣
👉🏽My BIGGEST tip: Cut your toys in HALF. More materials=More play? Think again! ⁣
Fewer toys reduces over-stimulation and leads to more sustained and creative play ⁣
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💭SHARE! If you could go back and tell yourself 1 thing about buying toys, what would it be? ⁣
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💪🏽𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗘𝗻𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 ⁣
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Follow 👉🏽@𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 for evidence based parenting strategies from Board Certified Behavior Analyst and fellow mom 🙋🏻‍♀️⁣
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😡Does it seem your toddler is frustrated easily, ⁣
😩gives up when something is hard,⁣
🤬or throws a tantrum when something doesn’t work how the wanted it to?⁣
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𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 a 🙋🏻‍♀️ below if you can relate! ⁣
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🔑The 𝗞𝗘𝗬𝗦 to building resilience are the 2 C’s: 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 and 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙛𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚. ⁣
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⭐️𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 ⁣
➕Let Them Struggle and Solve Problems:⁣
➕Teach Them How to Ask for Help⁣
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⭐️𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘 ⁣
➕Let them know you are there to help if needed. ⁣
➕Empathize with their frustrations. ⁣
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🚫So rather than jumping in and helping or trying to avoid/prevent frustrating scenarios for your toddler, 𝗖𝗢𝗔𝗖𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗠 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗢𝗨𝗚𝗛 𝗜𝗧 instead! ⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 below! What is the one thing that ALWAYS frustrates your child? ⁣
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Follow 👉🏽@𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 for evidence based parenting strategies from Board Certified Behavior Analyst and fellow mom 🙋🏻‍♀️⁣
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🚽Your child has shown all the signs, the potty is ready to go and you’ve committed to starting potty training when 💥𝗕𝗔𝗠💥 life happens. ⁣
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⚡️During a stressful event, children have control over 2️⃣ things, what they put into their body and what comes out. This will often exhibit itself in the form of uncharacteristic 🍎food selectivity and holding 🚽pee or poop💩. ⁣
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⭐️𝗧𝗼 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲, 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻:⭐️⁣
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➕𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦’𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘱𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦⁣
➕𝘉𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦⁣
➕𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘣 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘥⁣
➕𝘚𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘺⁣
➕𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 ⁣
➕𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱⁣
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So if you started potty training and one of these things comes up⁣
🚫𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗣🚫⁣
and start over when you’re back in a normal routine. ⁣
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✈️𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 with a toddler parent⁣
💾And don’t forget to 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 for later⁣
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Follow 👉🏽@𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 for evidence based parenting strategies from Board Certified Behavior Analyst and fellow mom 🙋🏻‍♀️⁣
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💭𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄, how old was your child when you started potty training? What signs did you see? ⁣
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🚽Instead of struggling with your child when you think it’s time to potty train, wait until you see the signs that your child is ready! ⁣
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🤓𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀, ⁣
⭐️𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗗𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀:⭐️⁣
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🚽𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘺⁣
🚽𝘚𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘺 ⁣
🚽𝘏𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 ⁣
🚽𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 ⁣
🚽𝘊𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘴/𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 ⁣
🚽𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 ⁣
🚽𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴⁣
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💥𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱! ⁣
⚡️Toileting skills 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯 to emerge between 22 and 30 months of age⁣
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⚡️Studies show that girls acquire toileting skills earlier than the boys. ⁣
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Not yet potty training? ⁣
Don’t forget to 𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 (💾 ) for later!⁣
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➕Schum et al. (2002). ⁣
This study is based on 267 children (15 to 42 months old), consisting of 126 girls and 141 boys. ⁣
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Hi, I’m Thea! 🙋🏻‍♀️ A mom, baby and toddler expert, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Follow 👉🏽@𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 for evidence based parenting strategies!⁣
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🙋🏼‍♀️𝘙𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥 if you’ve ever struggled with how to fill your day with your toddler? I know I have… ⁣
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🎉𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀!🎉 I’m here to tell you that I want you to start scheduling time in your day for your child to do ❌𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚! ⁣
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No fancy set up activities, no outings, no screens. ❌𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗜𝗡𝗚❌⁣
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✈️𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 with a toddler parent who needs to hear this! ⁣
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🤓At a basic level, It is through play that children at a very early age engage and interact in the world around them.⁣
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But on a bigger scale, play is a key factor in your child’s development. Especially play on their own! ⁣
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🧠𝘗𝘭𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥:⁣
⭐️Problem solving skills⁣
⭐️Creativity⁣
⭐️Confidence ⁣
⭐️Emotional Regulation ⁣
⭐️Resilience⁣
⭐️Social skills ⁣
⭐️Independence ⁣
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💥𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗖𝗔𝗡 𝗜 𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗥𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗣𝗟𝗔Y☄️⁣
➕Set up the environment for success. Less is more!⁣
➕Rethink the tools that you’re offering (are the toys open ended or one and done?) ⁣
➕Join in at first, but let them lead ⁣
➕Have scheduled play vs. screen time. Trust me, I know just flipping on that tv is so tempting!⁣
➕When they’re playing, don’t interrupt! There’s no right or wrong way to play. ⁣
➕Start small and set a timer⁣
➕When they’re done, as them about their experience and praise their independence! ⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗪! What’s your child’s favorite thing to play or play with? ⁣
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📱𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, put down your phone📱⁣
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Hi, I’m Thea! 🙋🏻‍♀️ Mom & Board Certified Behavior Analyst specializing in early childhood development. Follow 👉🏽@𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨.𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 for evidence based parenting strategies!⁣
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🤓In the U.S., 95% of smartphone users admit to having used their smartphones during family gatherings. ⁣
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❌Although smartphones are designed to connect us to others, it seems they may be doing the opposite when it comes to our children.❌⁣
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👉🏼How often have you been with your child and caught yourself responding to every ding or vibrate from your phone, or just sat and mindlessly scrolled? ⁣
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🙋🏻‍♀️I know I have! ⁣
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✈️𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 with a smart phone using parent! ⁣
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⚡️“Sad, lonely, competing with the phone, boring, unimportant.” These are just some of the words used by children to describe how they felt when their parents were on their phones. ⁣
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⭐️Research shows that not only are children feeling like they are competing with phones for their parents attention, but research has also shown that children are less likely to explore their environments, less socially resilient, and are more likely to engage in problem behavior in an effort to gain adult attention. ⁣
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💥𝗦𝗪𝗜𝗣𝗘💥above for more information on what the RESEARCH says. ⁣
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🙅🏻‍♀️I’m not saying you should NEVER be on your phone. My phone is often the gift that allows Jude and I stay in touch with family and friends! Simply reconsider reaching for the phone when you hear the notification ding while playing with your child or during mealtime. Save the scrolling for after bedtime. Or wait a few minutes to respond to that last text. ⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 below! What are your thoughts on this research? Do you see differences in your own child when you’re on your phone? ⁣
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🤓TEACHING NEW SKILLS TO REDUCE UNWANTED BEHAVIOR🤓⁣
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🌸Follow 👉🏽.tinies for evidence based parenting strategies!⁣
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😫Raise your hand if your child has ever been mid tantrum and you’ve thought, “HOW CAN I JUST MAKE THIS STOP?!”⁣
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🙋🏻‍♀️I’ve been there. ⁣
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🤫But let me fill you in on a secret. ⁣
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👉🏼Instead, I want you to think, “Hmmm, What skill have I not taught you yet?” 🤔⁣
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✈️𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 with a mama who has dealt with a tantrum (this is every single one us )⁣
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Don’t forget to (💾)𝗦𝗔𝗩𝗘 the 4 COMMUNICATION CATEGORIES for later! ⁣
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🥰You’ll now be focusing on giving your child a more functional and appropriate way to get their wants and needs met. ⁣
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Not only does this allow us as parents to think a little differently about unwanted behaviors, but it results in a 🔥𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦🔥 in the unwanted behaviors long term! ⁣
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💙Remember, all unwanted behavior is communication. So put your 🕵🏽‍♀️detective hat on and figure out what your child may be trying to communicate.⁣
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⭐️4 COMMUNICATION CATEGORIES⭐️⁣
➕Wants Attention ⁣
💥Skill to teach: “Mama” or coming and tapping your leg⁣
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➕To escape or avoid something unpleasant or difficult⁣
💥Skill to teach: “Break” or “help” ⁣
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➕Access to a preferred item or activity⁣
💥Skill to teach: Pointing, asking for the item, “My turn” ⁣
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➕To meet a sensory need ⁣
💥Skill to teach: “Hug,” “Spin, “Bounce,” “Break” ⁣
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𝘌𝘟𝘈𝘔𝘗𝘓𝘌:⁣
🧒🏻Jude is a high sensory needs, rough play kid. Lately he has been hitting me to initiate wanting to 🤼‍♂️wrestle. Instead of getting mad or scolding him, I will mouth “mama” to teach him to get my attention and then help him say “wrestle.”⁣
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💙Look! I never taught him how to ask for that activity and there’s nothing concrete for him to show me. He was simply asking the only way he knew how.⁣
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👉🏼So rather than feeling frustrated, figure out what you need to teach to replace that unwanted behavior instead. ⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘! What unwanted behavior have you been dealing with lately? What have you/do you need to teach to replace it? ⁣

💥Setting and Teaching Boundaries💥⁣
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🙋🏻‍♀️Follow 👉🏽.tinies for evidence based parenting strategies!⁣
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💙Children thrive on predictability and boundaries. The point of setting and maintaining boundaries is not to “show ‘em who’s boss!” but to give your child guidance, respect, and feelings of security. ⁣
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👉🏽But In order to set clear boundaries, you need to know what your boundaries are. So, first figure out what boundaries are in line with your parenting values. ⁣
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⭐️When your child has set limits and boundaries, they feel⭐️⁣
❤️SUPPORTED⁣
🧡SECURE⁣
💛SAFE⁣
💚CONFIDENT⁣
navigating through their everyday life. ⁣
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✈️𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 with a mama raising supported and confident kids! ⁣
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⭐️HOW TO SET AND MAINTAIN BOUNDARIES⭐️⁣
➕KEEP IT SIMPLE⁣
💥Make sure your expectations are age and developmentally appropriate ⁣
➕BE CONCISE AND POSITIVE ⁣
💥State the rule clearly and phrase it as a do rather than don’t statement⁣
➕CLEARLY COMMUNICATE YOUR EXPECTATIONS⁣
💥Your child can’t live up to a hidden expectation. Clearly tell your child what your boundaries are.⁣
➕REINFORCE, REINFORCE, REINFORCE! ⁣
💥When you focus on the good, the good gets better! ⁣
➕BE CONSISTENT AND FOLLOW THROUGH⁣
💥The more children learn about the consequences (positive or negative) of their actions, the more they understand the impact of their behaviors and the more secure they feel by having that understanding. ⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗪 What are some important boundaries in your home? How do you communicate them to your child? ⁣
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🏡We have “House Rules.” ⁣
🤚🏼Nice Hands and 🗣Kind Voice are 2 important boundaries in our home. ⁣
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🧠Keep in mind, your child WILL test these boundaries and expectations. 🥰Your job is to lovingly hold those boundaries and provide a secure and predictable environment. ⁣
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@ St. Louis, Missouri

Teaching Your Child About Diversity ⁣
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tinies , my role is to share my expertise on how children learn, to help you support your children to develop into the BEST possible versions of themselves!⁣
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So, when can you start teaching your child about race and diversity? 💥NOW.⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗪. Do you find it difficult to teach your child about diversity? Share your thoughts! ⁣
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💙A reluctance to address issues often stems from our tendency to want to avoid areas that make us feel uncomfortable or that we aren’t sure how to speak to. If we don’t talk about hard things, our children learn that they shouldn’t talk about hard things either. ⁣
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👉🏼At the most basic level, children learn through exposure, instruction, modeling, and feedback.⁣
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⭐️𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦:⭐️Your child’s toys act as a mirror to explore and express their feelings and emotions. Books and toys are also a window. A window to learn about the world! So, take an inventory of the toys and books your child has access to. Do they accurately represent what their world looks like? ⁣
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⭐️𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯:⭐️Tell your children. Children see difference among people. It is our job to talk to our children, acknowledge and point out differences. TELL them how beautiful our differences are! ⁣
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⭐️𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨:⭐️Your words are empty if your actions do not match. Children learn by watching YOU. Show them how to treat people. Show them how to be empathetic. Show them how to use their voice to do good. ⁣
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⭐️𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬:⭐️It's common for children to assign positive traits to people that look like them, and negative traits to people who look different. You can address your child’s feelings and attitudes. Remember, silence does not make an issue go away! Acknowledge that we're different, but point out all the ways that we’re alike at the same time. ⁣
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💙This is only the start, and an introduction to how we can take the first steps towards raising our future. ⁣
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💙A future that is different. ⁣
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💙A future that is better. ⁣
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𝗦𝗪𝗜𝗣𝗘 👉🏼 and check out today’s stories for some of my favorite things hat expose children to diversity and spark conversations. @ St. Louis, Missouri

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝘀. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴⁣
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Hi, I’m Thea! 🙋🏻‍♀️ A mom, baby and toddler expert, and Board Certified Behavior Analyst. Follow 👉🏽.tinies for evidence based parenting strategies!⁣
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🔥Ever feel like you spend your days just jumping from one fire to another? ⁣
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🩹Always putting a bandaid over something, just for it to occur again hours later? ⁣
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🌪𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘺𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘩𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨!⁣
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❤️𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗽 if you’ve been there! ⁣
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✈️𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 with an exhausted mama! ⁣
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💥Rather than always trying to figure out how to put out the fire, learn to prevent the fire from occurring in the first place. ⁣
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🤯𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘐𝘝𝘌 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘙𝘖𝘈𝘊𝘛𝘐𝘝𝘌.⁣
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🤔Want to start implementing proactive parenting strategies? ⁣
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⭐️𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲⭐️⁣
➕Anticipate the challenges ⁣
➕Identify the behavior you want to see increase ⁣
➕Focus on the good ⁣
➕Model the behavior you want to see⁣
➕Tell your child what to do rather than what not to do ⁣
➕Praise the positive behaviors⁣
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💭𝗦𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗘 below. Which of these proactive strategies will you focus on? ⁣
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🌎 It’s World Autism Day 🌎⁣
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Read Matthias’s story, in his own words, on living with autism on the blog. Link in bio.⁣
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I come from a big family. I am the oldest of seven children. The youngest, Matthias, was diagnosed with Autism when I was 14 years old. It was the greatest thing to ever happen to our family. ⁣
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𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁, ⁣
𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆, ⁣
𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀, ⁣
𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, ⁣
𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗱 𝘂𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱, ⁣
𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, ⁣
𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘂𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲’𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄. ⁣
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Was it always easy? No. We made the decision, as a family, to make Matthias our priority. We had to make sure he reached his full potential. ⁣
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Today he’s 19. He’s a football player, a 3-time wrestling state champion, he is currently in college on a wrestling scholarship with a Division 1 program. ⁣
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𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀; ⁣
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𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀; ⁣
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𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱, 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝟭𝟬 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲; ⁣
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𝗵𝗲’𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗳𝘂𝗹, 𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱; ⁣
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𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗹, 𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆. ⁣
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I hope that you are fortunate enough to have a Matthias in your life. ⁣ @ St. Louis, Missouri