The behavior of a potty accident i.e. child urinating in his training pants instead of the potty has the natural consequence of wet pants. The wet pants are enough of an "unsatisfying consequence" for some children, that they will try not to wet their pants and will try and urinate in the potty.
This is however not the case for all children. For some children wet pants are just a consequence. They are neither satisfying nor unsatisfying - so for such a child - this natural consequence will have not impact on his behavior. So, for a parent for whom wet pants are an "unsatisfying consequence", the parent has make the child also experience an "unsatisfying consequence", so that they child will be less likely to repeat this behavior.
One possible logical consequence is to make your child do practice the desired behavior i.e. simulate what he would do if he needed to go potty. Your child would simulate late the desired behavior by doing practice runs back and forth to the potty chair.
Practicing the desired behavior reinforces for the child what is expected from him and also helps build muscle memory. It also provides enough of an "unsatisfying consequence", that your child will choose not to repeat the behavior once he knows how to hold it long enough to get to the potty chair!
So, parenting by consequences or parenting with currency is a style of parenting that:
Encourge and rewards "desired" behaviors, thus creating more "satisfying consequences" that will cause these "desired" behaviors to be repeated.
AND
Imposing logical consequences on "Undesired" behaviors so create more "unsatisfying consequence" that will then cause the "undesired" behavior to be less likely be repeated.
I personally started using the technique when the boys were very small. I listened and learned many of these techniques from Barbara
Coloroso and her book "Kids are worth it". These ideas and concepts were reinforced when I used the Potty Training in One Day method to potty train both my boys.
I continue to use this method. My boys are now 14 and 11 and it still works. My 14 is getting to be very social and every time he want to go somewhere with his friends - the answer is yes you can but right after your room is clean or your laundry is done or dishwasher has been emptied.....you get the picture!! |
