Kids have impressive negotiation abilities; I am often in awe of their stamina in arguing their point.

Just because a small or medium being likes to argue doesn’t mean that they dictate the rules.

Your child might demand a snack before mealtime, for example. The strength of her whines should not determine if she gets a cookie or not, because if you relent here’s what she learns: forcefully whining works.

You are the parent. You are the teacher. When you stick to your word, when you use my principle “mean what you say,” you stop that little negotiator in her tracks!

And you don’t have to be a general to make this happen!

Does this seem like it’s an impossible dream?

I’ve demonstrated how this works to many, many parents in my private sessions.

So I asked the Behavior + Beyond resident actress to help me demonstrate this principle for all of the people who haven’t seen it implemented in-person.

Click below to see a behavior demonstration that will give you the strategies you need to be a far superior negotiator than your child.