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Redirecting Children’s Behavior: Effective Discipline for Creating Connection and Cooperation
Written by Kathryn J. Kvols
In early 1990, when our children were three and six years old, I met Kathryn Kvols. I was an experienced and skilled primary teacher in a Montessori classroom. I did exceedingly well at school with other people’s children. I listened to each child patiently and respectfully. I was kind, firm, and consistent. I cultivated a cooperative classroom community.
And yet, something disturbing happened when my children and I got into our car to go home. Suddenly, I became a very different person and did not treat my own children with the same respect and kindness I gave the children in my class. I was consistently in power struggles with my oldest child, and because that took up so much of my parenting time, my youngest became an attention-seeking child. My husband had no clue what to do with the children or me!
Without a doubt, we were struggling in our family life when I met Kathryn Kvols – a woman with a book, practices to cultivate connection and cooperation, and a belief in the goodness of humans.
I gladly took her course. I learned that the same principles I used in the classroom with other children also applied to my own children at home. What a novel idea! This woman, her book, and her practices transformed our home life.
I tell you this story because I am so excited that the 4th edition of Redirecting Children’s Behavior has been released this year. It has a new, more interesting look. The print and layout design is more inviting. It is loaded with real-life stories that illustrate the practices she espouses. Most important are the family-life-changing principles that she lays out in detail for her readers. They include cultivating growth mindsets within each family member, recognizing and managing emotions effectively, setting and keeping clear expectations, developing skills that eliminate the need to punish or reward, resolving conflicts peacefully, and so much more.
This book will help you align your family life with the principles and practices used in your child’s, grandchild’s, niece’s, or nephew’s Montessori classroom. It is a must-read for families.
