Finding success through Tuesday’s Child
Thomas is a delightful and challenging child. At age 3 it became obvious that he had some serious behavioral problems and developmental delays. We followed the advice of his doctors and started therapy for the developmental delays, hoping it would help his behavior. It didn’t. Eventually we found our way to Tuesday’s Child.
I was skeptical that Tuesday’s Child could help us. Thomas was so out of control, he had been kicked out of preschool and was not welcome at swim class anymore. He was in all the therapies the doctor recommended. Why would this help him when everything else did not? Tuesday’s child helped because it was different.
The focus was on learning parenting skills for children who have behavior problems. We weren’t focusing on fine motor skills or speech, we were focusing on Thomas as a person and us as a family.
I learned to observe Thomas’ behavior and see it as a form of communication. Acknowledging behavior as communication was a revelation. I started to be able to separate how his behavior made me feel from his intent. Instead of punishing my child for his inappropriate behaviors, I started teaching him appropriate replacement behaviors.
I learned that my job was to stay calm and be patient. That in being calm and patient, I could use techniques I was learning at Tuesday’s Child and quickly manage a meltdown. I gained confidence in my ability to parent Thomas and the ability to to handle every situation that came my way.
Eventually Thomas learned to ask for help when he was frustrated and used his angry words when he got mad. He learned to be a good friend and how to learn in a classroom. We learned how to be a happy family again.
At the end of our twelve week session, we opted to stay on. Thomas spent three more years in the classroom and summer camp. I became a peer mentor in the parent room. Thomas continued to learn and grow in Tuesday’s Child inclusive classroom. I have stayed on in the parent room, helping families learn the skills they need to manage their child’s challenging behaviors.
The Tripp family completed our Behavioral Intervention program.
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