Behavioral Management house so behavior can be better observed and managed appropriately. KEY: Healthy parents provide and foster a fun and safe environment so they can monitor their children and their friends. Principle 2: Behavior is Shaped by Consequences. Effective parents bring about natural and logical consequences to shape children’s behavior and, as a result, teach them accountability and responsibility. Natural consequences occur normally as a result of children’s behavior (e.g., a child refuses to wear a coat to school and gets cold) while logical consequences are interventions that parents and teachers use to facilitate SLOs and change. The key is to make sure that a logical consequence is correctly paired with a misbehavior. Telling a child, for example, that she will miss dinner because she did not complete her homework is generally not a good pairing of a consequence with a misbehavior, because there is not a logical connection between the two behaviors (and the child needs to eat!). However, saying something like, “You’re welcome to play with your friends as soon as your homework is done,” is a much better way to pair the responsibility of completing her homework with the logical consequence of being able to enjoy free time with her friends. KEY: Use natural and logical consequences wisely to shape healthy behaviors. Principle 3: Behavior is Ultimately Shaped Better by Positive Rather than by Negative Consequences. Rewards tend to motivate children and students to behave well, much more than punishments do. The key for effective parents is to discover the rewards that most motivate each child. For some children, the most motivating reward may be a sticker or a speci��c type of toy. For another, it may be the privilege of playing with friends for an extra hour, receiving an allowance, or being granted extra reading time. For many children, receiving approval and encouragement from parents is the most powerful and potent reward. Parents do not always have to have all the answers when a child behaves well or misbehaves, nor do they always know the appropriate logical rewards and consequences to deliver at the exact moment in time when behavior occurs. As a result, it is okay to tell children that you are not sure how to handle the situation at the present time, but that you will think about it and get back to them. KEY: Use positive reinforcement most often to guide child behavior. Principle 4: Past Behavior is the Best Predictor of Future Behavior. If a behavior occurred previously and is repeated, skilled parents understand that the behavior is likely to occur again. Thus, taking advantage of SLOs is important so children can learn that certain behaviors come with both desired and undesired consequences. As a result, children will learn which behaviors are appropriate and which are inappropriate. KEY: Carefully monitor past and present behaviors and facilitate appropriate consequences to shape appropriate future behaviors. References Cline, C., & Fay, J. (2006). Parenting with love and logic. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress. Gottman, J.M. (1994). Why marriages succeed or fail. New York: Fireside. Harris, V.W., Johnson, A., Olsen, K. (2013). Balancing work and family in the real world. Plymouth, MI: Hayden-McNeil. Latham, G.I. (1994). The power of positive parenting. North Logan, UT: P & T Ink. Latham, G.I. (1999). Parenting with love. Salt Lake City, UT: Bookcraft. Roggman, L.A., Boyce, L.K., & Innocenti, M.S. (2008). Developmental parenting: A guide for early childhood practitioners. Baltimore, MA: Paul H. Brookes. • Dr. Harris is an Associate Professor at the University of Florida. He teaches undergraduate and graduate parenting courses.
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