Pizza "Therapy" and Video game "therapy"

**imagine** · 05-23-2011, 01:45 PM

This summer hubby and I have some growing up/skill goals for our children.

We jokingly refer to these between us as "therapies"

Buddy is going to have Pizza Therapy this summer. Where he is going to become brave enough to approach adults and tell what he wants/needs He will be ordering pizza at the counter starting with the "we have two things ready to go place" then gradually moving up to phone order for delivery. When we can get him to do this without practice or a script of what to say I will be very happy.

Little Miss's therapy this summer is going to be video game therapy. Lots of video games to learn persistence and learning it is okay to fail ( mistakes aren't bad) and that when you die in a video game it really isn't the end of the world and your opponent ( others or the game itself) didn't do it to you to make you mad.

I'm seeing lots of family game nights in our future.

Any "therapies" at your house this summer?

**ktsmama** · 05-23-2011, 02:21 PM

I have been doing the "Pizza" therapy with my DD, too. They've got to start somewhere.

**Squidge** · 05-23-2011, 02:44 PM

Imagine, your therapies sound really useful for your children. When we have kids, focusing on skills goals/growing up tasks at certain points of their lives is exactly what I would like to do

. I think they could have a lot of fun with it as much as gain a great deal. It's something I'm really looking forward to.

**zakity** · 05-23-2011, 02:48 PM

We did the "pizza" therapy on the boys only using hamburgers at Wendy's. We would by them one and if they wanted another one, they had to go up and ask for it and purchase it. It worked out great for my guys (one of which is pretty shy).

**mommy2krj** · 05-23-2011, 03:01 PM

Oh yeah! We're gonna have "you can learn to live without your electronic devices" therapy this summer for all 3 kids.

I don't have it all quite worked out but the tv and wifi will be blocked for a majority of the day all summer long. The only exceptions will be during nasty weather. Tired of my kids all thinking that they need these things in order to enjoy their day. The only electronic concession I give is to having music players on...but only if they are only playing music!

While the teenagers are bad, us adults aren't much better and the youngest is definitely picking up on these habits as well. Needs to stop! I just need to get a good plan and such in place and ready for them for when school ends.

**imagine** · 05-23-2011, 03:21 PM

Originally Posted by zakity

We did the "pizza" therapy on the boys only using hamburgers at Wendy's. We would by them one and if they wanted another one, they had to go up and ask for it and purchase it. It worked out great for my guys (one of which is pretty shy).

I have had my children do that when they were little. Little Miss is quite good at it and she looks younger that she is so everyone starts looking around for her mother.
Once she was paying at a convenience store for candy she wanted. I stood back behind her and just watched. After she paid (handled herself amazingly) she turned to me to go. The lady behind the counter breathed an audible sigh and said "Oh good there is your mother"

Now that Buddy is older he will have to go into the building by himself and order etc. I will be in the car.

We recently did this therapy with my mom. She had to go in and order I waited in the car with the kids. I debriefed her with "So was that as hard as you imagined?" She admitted that it was not nearly as hard as she had imagined.

**McD** · 05-23-2011, 03:36 PM

I always make Wesley 'conduct his business'. He makes his own deposits at the bank, he pays for items he has saved his monies for, and I make him order when we eat out.

My dad and my three brothers are seemingly incapable of conducting their own business and my mom, the enabler, does it all for them.

That's not gonna fly in my house!

**mommy2krj** · 05-23-2011, 04:30 PM

I make my kids do the "pizza" therapy as well. They've all got it down pretty good and even the youngest does pretty good.

Our bigger one was "phone" therapy. Having to call and make an appointment to get their haircut and eventually leading up to calling for a doctor's appointment for their check ups. That one was a bit tougher of a sell. But DD will now occasionally make her own appointments for stuff without being asked to.

This one was a tough one because I have some crazy dread of making phone calls to people I don't know. Couldn't even tell you why. So I wanted to make sure that it wasn't so bad for them when they got older....DD definitely has a touch of the same issue as the first time we did it she fought me for a couple of days until she really decided that she wanted her hair cut and the making of the appointment wasn't something that was going to stop her.

**imagine** · 05-23-2011, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by mommy2krj

I make my kids do the "pizza" therapy as well. They've all got it down pretty good and even the youngest does pretty good.

Our bigger one was "phone" therapy. Having to call and make an appointment to get their haircut and eventually leading up to calling for a doctor's appointment for their check ups. That one was a bit tougher of a sell. But DD will now occasionally make her own appointments for stuff without being asked to.

This one was a tough one because I have some crazy dread of making phone calls to people I don't know. Couldn't even tell you why. So I wanted to make sure that it wasn't so bad for them when they got older....DD definitely has a touch of the same issue as the first time we did it she fought me for a couple of days until she really decided that she wanted her hair cut and the making of the appointment wasn't something that was going to stop her.

My mom always made me order pizza and the like. I thought she was trying to make me independent later she confessed it was just because she didn't like to do it so she made me do it.

**OOwl** · 05-23-2011, 04:51 PM

My daughter's first job was at a pizza place. She'd come home complaining about all the kiddos that would call and order pizza. She would say, "Mom, they were about two years old and I couldn't understand them; took FOREVER to get the order straight!" Now I can go home and tell her what was going on. . . "Pizza Therapy." LOL! I had NO idea this was a parenting technique. I will admit it's a good one! I just never thought of it like that. I had children I almost had to squelch because they would talk to ANYONE and EVERY ONE, which is at the other end of the scary scale.

**imagine** · 05-23-2011, 05:29 PM

Originally Posted by OOwl

My daughter's first job was at a pizza place. She'd come home complaining about all the kiddos that would call and order pizza. She would say, "Mom, they were about two years old and I couldn't understand them; took FOREVER to get the order straight!" Now I can go home and tell her what was going on. . . "Pizza Therapy." LOL! I had NO idea this was a parenting technique. I will admit it's a good one! I just never thought of it like that. I had children I almost had to squelch because they would talk to ANYONE and EVERY ONE, which is at the other end of the scary scale.

My pizza therapy boy is 14 years old and will start high school next year. I'm hoping it give him enough confidence to go talk to his teachers for missing assignments etc. He can talk up a store to them about weather going one very social child. He just can't approach them about "business" I did see on net the "pizza therapy" as a therapy for autistic children.

Oh and about voice, I have a young sounding voice. I often get ask if my mommy is home. Nope, I am the mommy.

**Imarachne** · 05-23-2011, 05:32 PM

Good practice for them !

**imagine** · 05-23-2011, 05:35 PM

I'm thinking we might need roller coaster therapy here this summer.

Seriously, we took Buddy to the amusement park for the first time last year and he hated it. I think he didn't like the scary feeling or the lose of control. You know the fun stuff about amusement parks. He hated it so much he said he was afraid for his life and NEVER wanted to go back.

We couldn't even get him on a roller coaster so we will have to ease up to that.

Trying to figure out how to do this roller coaster therapy.

**Nishu** · 05-24-2011, 01:14 AM

I remember being a kid and first getting comfortable ordering. It actually was pretty nerve wracking, and I remember talking about it with friends so I know I wasn't the only one. I also had pretty bad nerves about talking on phone. Good ideas for sure, Imagine.