Behavior Triggers

Hungry. Angry. Lonely. Tired. I remember reading a little about H.A.L.T. on Simple Mom recently.  Here is the snippet that clicked with me:

See, a key element in the successful practice of positive parenting is the ability to set our children up for success. It requires some effort to be thoughtfully and intentionally proactive in creating rhythms, routines, and environments in which they can feel their best.

Are you familiar with the HALT slogan often used in recovery programs? The idea behind it is that when a person is in recovery (specifically, addiction recovery), there are moments when he or she is vulnerable to making poor choices. HALT reminds us that when we are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired, there is a need to be more sensitive to good decision making.

I actually was not familiar with the HALT slogan, but Hubby and I have often talked about how when we pay attention to our kids in relation to the areas of Hunger, Anger, Loneliness and Tiredness we can often discern the cause of certain behaviors or stop unwelcome behaviors before they show themselves. I mean, it’s hard enough for us as adults to make good decisions when we are hungry, angry, lonely and tired, how to we expect children to make good choices under the same circumstances?

Please stop by Simple Mom and check out her post about HALT. It’s worth the read, and the thoughts it brings to mind!

I initially started to blog today about intentional parenting, about ‘setting our children up for success’, but as you’ll read tomorrow, I felt strongly I was to introduce this H.A.L.T. concept to readers who may not have thought about it before, or at least to give what we already know and practice a name. I guess this ended up as one big re-write!

In terms of our boys, Hubby and I have been trying hard to offer a healthy snack, encourage the use of words when the signs of an altercation creep up, to cuddle and get involved in the playing along with gentle conversation when we notice crankiness and to pull a child away to read or cuddle on our laps when they seem a little tired. This seems to keep difficult interactions at bay, for the most part. Another big thing in our family, though, it offering enough opportunity for gross motor play. When there isn’t enough throughout the day, altercations are more prevalent.

Have you been observing your kiddos a little more closely? Have you noticed any correlations between behavior and Hunger, Anger, Loneliness or Tiredness?