Some of you may know that M, at this age, still sleeps with her mother because her mother encourages it. I have tried many different way to change this behavior without any success. M is the type of child that does not response to normal carrot nor stick approaches. She is smart enough and strong will enough to get her own way, especially with her mother's backing. Finally, Friday, is the first night she managed to sleep the entire night on her own. How? There is one thing that she really loves to do. She is very good at Gymnastics, and she loves it. So I found the leverage. I explained: no matter how skillful a gymnist gets, she is not going to be able to be successful if she cannot even sleep by herself. So if M does not sleep like a real gymnist (by herself), there will be no need for anymore gymnastic classes.
Of course, the next morning became a special celebration. I created a certificate for her, and we talked it up all day. Now we are on the beginning of night number two. Let's see if this last.