Personal Narrative: The Five Responses To Change

Have you ever had a child that resisted bedtime? Perhaps your child was afraid of the dark, was sensitive to every noise he heard, or simply couldn't relax himself enough to fall asleep. Well, that is our son Ian, and he has had challenges with bedtime from an early age. To help him feel comfortable at night, my husband and I would lie down with him until he fell asleep. Now we are trying to change this bedtime routine because not only is it unhealthy for Ian, it is becoming challenging for us.

My husband and I take turns putting Ian to bed, and last night was my turn. Wanting to make sure we set Ian up for success, we started with a warm bath and our usual routine of reading before bed. Doing what I could to make sure he was relaxed, I put Ian in bed at 8 o'clock, tucked him …show more content…
Do you recognize yourself in any of these?

The avoider lives in denial about change. He or she is oblivious to change that needs to take place. When change is presented, the avoider will do whatever is necessary to stay away from change. Denial is a self-protection mechanism that protects us from pain. The avoider sees change as painful, therefore believes that if the pain is ignored, it will eventually go away. It is normally a strong external circumstance or person that shakes the avoider up and propels her to change.

The resister loves excuses. Although she may understand change is necessary or even desirable, she will still fight with change. Often when I am working with mom clients around weight loss issues, I am met with a lot of resistance. Clients will explain to me why they didn't stick to their diet, exercise like they had intended, or make the necessary changes they want to make. Even with coaching and encouragement, the resister will still resist change. For the resister, there are often more perceived benefits from not making the change than following through with the change. Until those benefits are resolved, the resister will remain