Disagreeing Appropriately

Hello Nicholeen,

Can you explain how to teach the skill of disagreeing appropriately to a 2.5 yr old & also a 4 yr old? Our 4 yr old boy is grasping the other skills but I'm having trouble helping him understand this one. I think if he can master it, he will feel less frustrated with accepting no answers.

Also, what do we do with hitting and kicking as I take him to his calm down spot? i got wacked pretty hard in the face today. right now i am doing a soft hold until he can sit there by himself without getting up. i do explain that he can get up as soon as he is calm. he does eventually get calm and is able to follow an instruction. the hitting seems to be escalating and he hits his little sister often. Honestly, we (parents) have not gotten the skills of pre teaching or praise yet and so it feels like just a lot of corrections and chores. At this point our family culture is still very reactionary. Is this just a part of the process while we are still learning?

Thank you!