Behavior Corrections Facility

I once heard that in order for a kid to get used to a particular new food, you have to put it in front of him a dozen times. That may not seem like a lot, but a dozen times really IS a lot in the scheme of meal rotation.

I have come to see the truth in this, and I believe the theory should also be extended---perhaps to the infinite degree---to include toddler behavior correction. Before I became a mom, no one ever told me that I would spend the whole day telling shut-ears not to jump on the couch.

But it makes a difference. I really believe it does. I now understand that my kids greet people in public because they have learned this behavior. Just this morning, Tommy sat absorbed in The Incredibles, quite obtuse to the fact that Lucy had woken up and joined us for the day. It took me about 3 reminders for Tommy to say, "Good morning" to her. And finally, when he did, Lucy's face lit up and she bubbled along like the Goose tends to do.

Maybe this sort of obsessive correction is what we really need in the other behavioral facilities.