Now let's take a look at some common challenges implementing Plan B. You'll probably recognize some of the things that might be getting in the way of your attempts as well!



Seems like this one worked out OK, right? Yes, so what's the problem you might ask? It was Emergency B which helped to deescalate things, but chances are that problem hasn't been solved in any durable way. Emergency Plan B is crisis management. Proactive Plan B is crisis prevention. So if the problem is going to come up again, no time like the present to try Proactive Plan B before it happens again.

Many people new to the approach start off only using Plan B in the midst of meltdowns as problems can be tough to anticipate in the beginning. This is why you have the Pathways Inventory though to spend some time identifying common triggers so you can start doing Plan B proactively. If you are only doing a lot of Emergency Plan B you'll probably end up getting burnt out fast and doing a form of Plan B we call Perpetual B!

An important point: Many folks think the mother here started with Plan A when she told her daughter to go upstairs and get her sweater. What Plan was that? A trick question. No Plan actually! That was simply her mom setting an expectation. You see, the Plans don't actually come into play until an expectation (like getting her sweater) has been set, and the child doesn't meet it. Then you decide which Plan to use. Simply asking your child to do something is not Plan A. Imposing your will when they don't comply is!

Click the arrow above to learn about other common factors interfering with successful Plan B.