Discussion: 3.3 Listen, Limit, Listen

[Aileen]

The first step - Listen - is where you ask the child why they are upset. They may have a lot to say about their feelings.
Second step - Limit - is when you step in on unreasonable behavior. They may want to do things like play with all the toys and not share or take up all the space in a specific area. We need to be there to let them know that even though they are unhappy, they still have to follow the rules.
Third step - Listen - this may be the hardest for me, because children will express their feelings again and possibly can explode into a tantrum or dissolve into tears. I need to remember that this is a productive time and they should let it all out. But I cannot help them or hasten their release because it's an important time - and possibly the only time they are allowed to express their emotions.

Limiting might be a little bit tough for me until I can figure out how to fine tune at what point am I over limiting or whether I am under limiting.

[Sarahcool28]

The listen step is toughest for me. It is hard to stand back and allow a child to have a huge tantrum while doing nothing. It's not the way I do things at home. I would do it differently with my own children however there are rules and different ways that we must handle these situations in a center. So it is difficult to allow that behavior in a child that I would not tolerate in my own child.

[Gale Coleman]

I agree this would also be the toughest for me, because I would want to respond right away, because for me it could be a little bit of patience and a little bit of addressing the issues right away and come to a solution and conclusion to the problem. But I know that you cannot react to the situation the wrong way, you have to allow the child to calm down. So, yes it would be tough for me after I have stepped in to prevent the child from doing things that don’t make sense, to just stand by and allow the child to cry, storm, or tantrum, even though it is constructive for the child to get this out.