Coaching practices for Is Teeth Grinding Bad for My Child

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Is Teeth Grinding Bad for My Child, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

• My kid has started hiding mistakes and bracing like they’re in trouble before I’ve even said anything, and I think it’s because my first reaction to a spill or a broken thing is always the accusation
• Every time I put my foot down and insist, my kid blows up worse
• When my kid acts out I lose it
• My kid is full of wild physical energy and I tend to shut down the wrestling and chasing because I’m afraid it’ll spin out of control
• Every conversation with my kid about their behavior turns into me laying down the law and them digging in, and I want a way to actually talk it through together

Practices that may help

1. Cultivate a "yes brain": curiosity, courage, and resilience over reactivity
   Respond to the child’s world with curiosity and openness rather than threat and control.
   The Whole-Brain Child (Siegel & Bryson)
2. Recognize when Plan A (unilateral imposition) makes things worse
   Adult-imposed solutions can win the battle and lose the war — notice when enforcement is escalating rather than solving.
   Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
3. Refuse to energize negative behavior
   Give consequences briefly and blandly — no energy, no lecture, no drama.
   The Nurtured Heart Approach (Howard Glasser)
4. Engage in safe rough-and-tumble play
   Wrestling, chasing, and physical silliness build the regulation capacity that calm activities cannot.
   Special Time (Lawrence Cohen — Playful Parenting)
5. Use Plan B: the three-step collaborative conversation
   Empathize with the child’s concern, share yours, and invite them to solve it together.
   Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
6. Arrange the environment to support Green Zone states
   Predictable schedules, sensory comfort, and low transition stress make Green more accessible.
   Zones of Regulation (Leah Kuypers)
7. Hold Plan B conversations proactively, not reactively
   Solve the problem before the next explosion, when everyone is calm.
   Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)
8. Engage the upstairs brain through curiosity and play
   Ask questions that require the child to think, imagine, or consider another perspective.
   The Whole-Brain Child (Siegel & Bryson)
9. Build each child’s personalized regulation toolbox
   Each child needs their own set of tools matched to each zone.
   Zones of Regulation (Leah Kuypers)
10. Use empathy to de-escalate, not to capitulate
    Name the child’s emotional state without agreeing with every demand — empathy and limits can coexist.
    Collaborative Problem Solving (Ross Greene)

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