Jenna Mazzillo

Practical, proven strategies to reduce challenging behavior and create calmer days 😌 📈Behavior Analyst 👩🏻‍🏫Teacher👭Mama

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

There’s nothing wrong with your child.

Just something they haven’t been taught yet.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Want to make a meltdown worse?

Start lecturing.

Want to make progress?

Stay calm. Say less.

And if there's something better they can do—prompt it.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

You can't consequence your way out of a missing skill.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

The goal isn’t to “win” every power struggle. It’s to stop entering battles that don’t need to be fought.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Waiting to praise or reward only when your child does something major, like acing a test or sitting through a whole dinner, means you’re missing dozens of small behaviors that shape who they’re becoming.

The Fix: Start noticing the ordinary.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

We make mistakes as parents all the time. We give ourselves grace and move on.

So why is it so easy to forget that our kids deserve the same?

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Kids listen for two reasons:

→ They’re afraid of what will happen if they don’t

→ Or they care about preserving their relationship with you

Only one leads to long-term change and trust. Choose wisely.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

You could spend a fortune on toys, or you could spend 15 minutes on the floor with your child. One of those actually changes behavior. (Hint: it’s not the toy.)

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Parents and teachers often ask what to do when a child melts down. But the better question is: what did you do before that?

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

That dramatic sigh? The eye roll?
It only turns into a thing if you make it a thing.

Don’t take the bait.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Questioning your child after they misbehave doesn’t teach them what to do, it just gives the behavior more attention.

Instead of “Why did you do that?”

Teach the skill they need in that moment. Practice it when they’re calm.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Don't let your bad day become an excuse for not being kind to your kids. They don't know what it feels like to fight with insurance or sit in traffic after a long day and still have to make dinner, nor should they. They just know how you treat them when you walk in the door.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Every child does something worth reinforcing every single day. If you’re missing it, you’re looking in the wrong direction.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

Don’t wait for perfect behavior to show appreciation. Reinforce the attempts. That’s how kids learn what’s worth doing again.

[Jenna Mazzillo @ABAnaturally]

We don't tell a child once how to tie their shoes and expect them to remember it forever. Yet we do that with emotional regulation, following directions, and problem solving-skills that are far more complex.