There are two ways to influence your child. The first is through developing certain skills that help you respond to his needs and behaviours, and the second is through developing some lifestyle habits that affect him in positive ways. The skills will allow you to affect your child‘s internal state. The lifestyle habits allow you to affect your child‘s external world. The skills are about understanding and responding to your child‘s overall emotional, mental and physical health and behaviour. These address his internal needs.

The habits help you influence your child‘s development and behaviour through their environment, lifestyle and routines. These address his external needs.  When you work on developing these skills and habits simultaneously, your child‘s behaviour will usually transform totally. When you address both – the psycho-emotional aspects of your child‘s behaviours, and the external influences of your child‘s environment and lifestyle – you are then facing the whole picture. And therefore, you can provide a lasting positive impression in his behaviour and give him the best foot forward in life.

When your child is exhibiting behaviours that are not desirable, addressing only the behaviours themselves will leave you frustrated because the behaviours don‘t change, or grow into even worse behaviours. By honestly and objectively addressing the root causes of the misbehaviour, by gaining perspective on your child‘s emotional, mental and physiological needs, and by learning how to apply  skills to help you respond to his needs, behaviours and habits, you will be able to develop an entirely new relationship with your child.  A relationship with your child and family that is filled with love, compassion, understanding, connection, consideration, cooperation and open communication.