I have not lost my passion for the field, I think if anything it’s increased as I see the need for ABA in so many facets of our lives from our children to our parents, especially as we all emerge out of this pandemic. Let’s face it, we made a mess and now we gotta clean it up. Concepts like shaping and fading, goal setting and baseline assessment are especially important as we pick up the pieces and put our lives back together.
Quitting your job during a pandemic is an interesting thing. I’ve been working from home for a year now. I have seen co-workers in-person maybe three times in the past year. My wardrobe went from stretchy pants to well, more stretchy pants. The miles on my car are still for kid sports and school. My day-to-day doesn’t look a whole lot different; except, all those daily job responsibilities are no more. It’s like the scene has stayed the same, I just put on a new pair of glasses.
The cool part, the new and scary part, is my new identity as a stay-at-home mom.
Truthfully, that title has always scared me. I am not creative, I could be a lot more organized, I’m horrible at party planning and playdates (my kids always played at daycare), and my definition of a good dinner is a Trader Joe’s meatloaf and a bag of Caesar salad. I’ve always had the excuse of work when my parenting skills disappointed me.
ABA is amazing, it’s my second language as I live and breathe it daily; BUT, parenting using ABA is a different ballgame that takes a heavy dose of both patience and realism.
Patience with our children and with ourselves, as well as realistic goals regarding how much we can fit in a busy day. As I dive back into the Parent-Led Revolution, I am doing so as a full-time parent, and I plan to lean into parenting more than ever.
Which leads me to one of my favorite and silly simple ABA parenting hacks to use during transitions.
I love using 3, 2 and 1 minute warnings when I’m pulling my kids from something fun, say swimming. Truthfully, those 3 minutes aren’t exact and probably run a little long, but the point is my kids know what’s coming and can slowly adjust toward the transition. After the 3 minute warning, comes the 2, then the 1, then it’s time to move. They still won’t be happy to leave, but at the very least it usually proves to help some. Don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t work the first time either, your child may need repeated exposure to this technique before they understand the pattern.
Transitions can be hard, whether it’s a new professional identity or time to leave the playground. But both hopefully create an opportunity for growth.
