Conscious Discipline



These days, it seems every sentence I write starts with a qualifier about the state of the world -- these unprecedented times, this rollercoaster of a year, etc. From the pandemic, the never-ending US Presidential election and all the things in-between, this year has been a lot to manage, especially for parents. Like many others, I am home every day with my children, home schooling and supporting virtual learning, doing my best, as so many of us are, to keep them safe, happy and thriving. Every day as I reflect on the world and my place in it, I thank my lucky stars for our health, our resilience, and Conscious Discipline.


Have you heard of Conscious Discipline?  Up until I became a Take Note Studio parent, I hadn’t.  Before learning about it, I was skeptical -- why do I need a course in discipline? My children are angels! (that’s a joke.) For real though, I had no idea what Conscious Discipline (CD) was or why it was relevant to my work as a parent, until I witnessed CD methods in my girls’ music classes.  I remember hearing teachers say things like, “Grace, you sorted the food into a green pile, a purple pile, and a red pile!” and thinking how cool it was for an authority figure to notice what my kid was up to, instead of just saying “good job!”  I was intrigued by the calm demeanor of our Kindermusik teachers, especially in the early toddler years, and how, like the pied piper, they could magically get those big, impulsive babies to engage and pay attention.  I wanted that in my own life! And not just with children, with adults too!  So when the studio offered a Conscious Discipline study group last fall, I was ready to embrace discipline (even though my kids are angels!) and learn more.



The broad strokes of CD are this: shifting adult understanding of behavior via the Conscious Discipline brain state model.  It then provides researched-backed strategies to respond to each child’s individual needs with wisdom, compassion, and empathy.  These things together have proven to increase self-regulation, sense of safety, connection and motivation in both adults and children.  It sounds like a lot, but you’d be amazed how once you understand the science of the social emotional parts of the brain, the rest of the methodologies are very intuitive, and frankly, fascinating to witness. 



Conscious Discipline encompasses these lessons into seven powers and skills, giving adults tools to stay conscious of their own behavior in the midst of stressful situations, and then moving to help and guide children.  I won’t delve into all of them here, but a few of my favorite takeaways were the empathetic and empowering nature of this program -- how growth and learning happens when we use connection and compassion to guide people instead of a traditional discipline format of force and coercion.  As a mom, I love the thought of helping my children celebrate their mistakes as a chance to learn something new, and how their resilience is built in this process instead of being fearful of making mistakes in the first place. 



I remember back in September when I watched the beyond embarrassing first presidential debate and thought, these guys need Conscious Discipline! Where’s Becky Bailey?  She should be moderating this!  It became clear to me that we expect children to have more self control than we ask of a grown up vying for the most powerful office in the world!  It is the mission of Conscious Discipline to change that, though, and that’s the best part-- it empowers change to come from within, so we empower both adult and child to become conscious of their behavior.  The studio will offer another Conscious Discipline group in February and I cannot recommend this course enough.  It transformed my understanding of my job as a mother, and has equipped me to stay calm and regulated in any situation, so I can help guide and coach my children to do the same.  During this unprecedented time (see, the qualifiers!) Conscious Discipline will give you the power and skills to know you are doing your job -- the most important job in the world -- to the best of your ability. Secure your spot in our next group here :  http://takenotestudio.net/home/parenting-support


Until we can be together again, I wish you well!


Ms Erin


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