Hello,

We've very glad you took the time to reach out today. Getting a child to do anything they don't want to do can be a challenge, but if a child isn't taking care of a basic essential such as showering, then parents and care providers definitely do not want to give up on their efforts to help the child integrate the appropriate behavior into his or her routine.

The concept of a routine is important. Children do best when they have a routine and a schedule. As such, it might be a good idea to "go back to square one" with your grandchild and have her parents practice the morning routine with her. It is important that they utilize praise during this practice, and potentially even reward practice done well. This way, when it comes to the morning time and your granddaughter needs to shower, she will have already practiced through this routine with her parents. Successful completion of this task should always result in praise for her parents, and even a reward on occasion (but not every day). If she is unable to successfully complete the task of taking a shower, then a consequence and an explanation of why showering should have been completed should follow each occasion. Remember, a giving a consequence always presents a teaching opportunity to the parents, which they definitely do not want to be passing up either.

Look at this link for additional guidance: http://www.parenting.org/article/addressing-problem-behavior-effectively

Boys Town National Hotline
1-800-448-3000