When Curiosity Causes Trouble with Ali L.

Ali has two daughters, and her three-year-old--who has always been very adventurous and independent--has lately become curious and daring to the point of potential danger. Ali is looking for ways to keep her daughter safe without shutting down her bold curiosity or constantly telling her no.

Today, we talk about how she can do this. I discuss the power of reframing "No, because this will happen" into "What do you think will happen if…?" I talk about how Ali can encourage her daughter to do some critical thinking about possible outcomes before doing something rash out of curiosity. I note the value of small experiments in teaching this, and I talk about how revisiting earlier rash decisions that turned out badly can help Ali's daughter overcome her fear around those decisions.

"By showing and letting her learn this on her own, you're teaching her thinking skills and problem-solving skills"

- Sue Groner

This week on The Parenting Mentor:

• Safely encouraging boldness
• Avoiding constantly saying no
• Raising an independent child
• The power of reframing
• Empowering intelligent curiosity

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