'Supernanny' Episode 4: Jo Frost teaches Ostlers how to discipline their children while grieving son's death
Who needs Nanny McPhee or Mary Poppins when you have got Supernanny Jo Frost? After using her years of experience in assisting families who need help in controlling their children, Jo is back.
This week she heads over to Arizona to help the Ostler family that is struggling to control their boisterous children while also still grieving the loss of their first child who died just two hours after being born.
Nicole and Dane have two boys — Jax (6) and Kaydin (4). Jax is loving but does not know how to control his emotions while Kaydin beats to his own drum and is very independent.
Nicole, when not a full-time mom, does billing for a chiropractic office. Dane is a wildland firefighter who is not home 75% of the time. Nicole feels like she is a single parent most of the time and is filled to the brim with stress. Her helicopter parenting style is not working with the kids as it is just driving them further away. Thankfully, nanny Jo arrives right in time.
Through her observation, she notices that Nicole gives her children a lot of options which leaves them with no boundaries in place and they know that. Her communication with the children also shows a lot of miscommunication. She also notices that the children do not take Nicole seriously. Besides, Jo notices that Jax is just craving for independence and her helicopter parenting is only making him rebel more.
Jo also got to learn that Nicole and Dane are grieving the loss of their first child Braylin. The next week goes in teaching Nicole how to control her children and take authority. She also advises both Nicole and Dane to go for couples counseling and group therapy to get over the grieving and focus on their children.
Apart from that, she also teaches Nicole to give the children clear directions and no options. The communication needs to be clearer and boundaries need to be set. Jo tells Nicole that she needs to be who she is and only then will the kids take her seriously. A parent should lower their tone but always be assertive. This is about their self respect too and the children need to respect her. Nicole needs to have eye contact with her kids so they know her decision is firm and that they need to listen to her.
When a child misbehaves, they need to know that it is wrong and consequences will be reinforced if their bad behavior continues. Also, use your assertive voice when needed, but at the same time, you should let your kids try their best and give them a chance at being independent.
'Supernanny' airs every Wednesday only on Lifetime. Check your local listings for more information.