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I Want…
The sentence for asking. A child who can say what they want does not have to ask for it with a meltdown.
2–8
Right now
These six matter most, because these are the moments when not having the words costs everyone the most.
Things I want to do
How I want to feel
The hardest ones here, and the most useful of all when a child is about to boil over.
Answer the sentence every time, even when the answer is “not now.” A sentence that nobody responds to sends a child straight back to the meltdown.