S.C.R.U.B.™

Childhood Discipline System Created by a Mom

Kids Drivin' You Crazy?

Maybe you need S.C.R.U.B.

S.C.R.U.B.TM
Childhood Discipline System
created by a mom

Link to Purchase

S.C.R.U.B.™ is an acronym for a childhood discipline system I developed in 1986 for use with my son and my stepson of the same age.  If you've read my book Nowhere to Turn, you're already familiar with the story behind the S.C.R.U.B.™ System's conception. The acronym stands for Self Control Reduces Undesirable Behavior.

I developed S.C.R.U.B.™ at the urging of a psychologist who was treating my stepson for behavioral problems.  The doctor said it was up to me to devise a discipline plan to apply to both boys. The plan must have zero tolerance for misbehavior, yet must be fair, impartial, and absolutely consistent.

This was a tall order. In the absence of Dr. Phil or anyone else to help me, after days of agonizing over this challenge it came to me that I needed to include my kids in the system's creation. If they were involved in establishing the rules (i.e. the code of conduct for our family) AND the penalties for breaking those rules; and if the rules applied equally to everyone in the family, there could be no cries of "unfair" or "playing favorites."

Based on past experience with using the same penalties over and over again (with little degree of success), it occurred to me that there should be a variety of penalties in order to be effective. Furthermore, since not all types of behavior are equal in terms of seriousness, both the list of misbehaviors and the list of potential penalties should be color coded for degree of seriousness.

At this point, I contacted the doctor. He said I was on the right track, but I needed to incorporate some small rewards into the system. Once I'd decided how to handle the rewards, the doctor gave the go ahead to put the system into effect.  I didn't call it S.C.R.U.B.™ back then. My boys and I simply called it the card system.

S.C.R.U.B.™ isn't right for everyone. It won't work for a child who's incapable of controlling his behavior. And it won't work for kids who have crossed the line into juvenile delinquency or drug use. But for families with ordinary kids who simply need some rules and discipline in their lives, S.C.R.U.B.™ very often turns out to be "just what the doctor ordered."

It worked for my family and for children in my care. And it's worked both for people I've trained in its use and for people who've purchased the packet. If you're determined to make a positive change for the better, both in your kids' behavior and yours as a parent, I believe S.C.R.U.B.™ will work for you.

Stacie Spielman