"Teach them to call themselves smart, intelligent, and kind… At first, they will repeat them because you said them; however, the words will become a part of them—just as the negative words stuck to them before."
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A Parent's Guide to a Peaceful Home by Patricia Braxton Trafford Publishing
book review by J.A. Garcia
An elementary school teacher for over forty years, Patricia Braxton was hand-picked to develop a training manual for Maria Shriver's character development program, Community of Caring Character Education Program. Drawing from her experiences as both a school teacher and a participant in Maria Shriver's program, Braxton has developed a strategy for improving childhood behavior and family interactions in the home. As the title suggests, Braxton's strategy, Towards Affective Development (TAD), brings parents closer to the goal of a peaceful home. Drawing on examples from her years in the classroom, Braxton exposes clear parallels between the observed behavior of parents, the level of parental involvement in their children's education, and the behavior of children. Thus, her use of loving, compassionate, and organized interactions are intended to also improve school performance.
Braxton's approach combines common sense approaches with the practicality that comes with years of managing a classroom. TAD combines intervention and prevention strategies using color-coded behavioral charts, regular family meetings, think sheets, and job charts. Emphasizing positive reinforcement, TAD builds in several levels of praise, communication, and goal-setting. Developed with the busy parent in mind, each approach is outlined in an easy-to-follow manner. Although Braxton's strategies are geared for elementary school-age children, a bit of modification can certainly translate these approaches for older children and teens. Given the current proliferation of violence in schools, the importance of childhood character development is critical. Braxton draws on the relevance of such startling realities to initiate a rallying cry for parents to not only increase their involvement in their children's education, but to also create a loving, compassionate, and ultimately peaceful home.