I highly recommend completing our Prep Work suggestions before starting this boot camp.  Once you are prepared to work, it's time to begin your journey of Correcting Bad Behavior.

Day 1 – Correction Day

Focus

Be focused! Do not worry about the dishes, laundry, or other pending tasks around the house. You will get more out of the boot camp if you are hyper-focused on correcting the behavior. I recommend being around your kids as much as possible.

Watch and Correct

Watch for the designated behaviors you want to correct. As soon as those behaviors appear, calmly correct your child by implementing your consequence. You will likely experience worse behavior when you begin this process, which could escalate quickly. Try to use the specific verbiage you decided on when correcting them.

Communicate  

Explain the consequences. Try not to interact with your kids during this time unless they come out of their room before you have dismissed them.  You want them to have time to process their feelings and know that you are there to work with them calmly.  Let your child know what they need to do to get out of the reset.  You also want to highlight the bad behavior as your reason and use the character trait to get attention.  For instance, “I will come and get you from your room as soon as you are silent and ready to show respect.” 

Stand Firm!

Day 1 is so TOUGH! You have to stand firm with the process. Please do not get them until they have met all the expectations and can control themselves.  Do not end the reset the first time and then throw around warnings and threats when they show those same behaviors. Correcting bad behavior is an all-day process. You want to correct the behavior immediately.  We had four resets for our last boot camp, with the first one lasting about an hour and a half.

Concluding Day 1

You want to review with your child the events of Day 1. I usually do this at bedtime so we can snuggle and talk. Please don’t ask them vague questions and expect to receive a decent response.  Focus on the words you use, so you don't talk down to them but instead communicate with them. Recognize that they’ve had a long day too.  Also, make sure to prepare them for tomorrow by explaining your expectations.

Most Important!!

Tell them that you love them!  They may need an extra snuggle.  I always end our night with a prayer, lots of snuggles, and communication.

Get some rest and prepare for Boot Camp for Correcting Bad Behavior – Day 2! You've got this!