This parenting technique sounds like a dream come true. Parents everywhere would probably love to hypnotize their children into giving them massages, folding the laundry, and doing all their homework without a tantrum. However, hypnosis parenting isn’t exactly about turning your child into a mini servant. Rather, it’s about using clear and direct language with your child that will ultimately get them to do the tasks you ask of them.

According to the National Accredited College of Hypnotherapy you can absolutely hypnotize your child into doing what you tell them to do. First, stop. Put your hand on the child’s shoulder, look directly in his/her eyes and give directions as statements, not questions. For example, you can say, “Amy, it is now time for you to take out the garbage, please.” This is much more effective than, “Can you take out the garbage now?” Open ended questions like this leave room for your child to have an attitude, whine, or simply say no. Want to increase the chances that Amy will do it the first time you ask? Simply nod your head up and down in a “yes” motion as you give your direction, and you will notice her nodding back!

Most children respond to hypnotherapy pretty well, which is why this technique is getting attention and becoming popular with experts and parents to resolve juvenile concerns. This works best with younger children (age 3-5), but can definitely work with older ones as well. Try talking positively and firmly to your child with accompanying body movements. What do you have to lose?

This concludes our Radical Parenting series. After reading, you may feel that many of these parenting methods seem strange, even crazy, but for countless families they are normal practices that help bring balance and peace into their homes. Most of these techniques aren’t even new, but have only recently been getting attention. In the end, it is about what works best for your family. Extended nursing, baby wearing, and hypnosis have all been shown to be beneficial for parents and children alike. Remember that not too long ago, cloth diapering, stay-at-home dads, nonviolent communication, baby sign language, early potty training, and tons of other practices were also classified as “radical.”

I. Rose De Lilly is a published writer, educator, and award-winning poet. When she is not working on her graduate degree or teaching children to read, she writes engaging articles for Educator.com. She enjoys traveling, spoken word, bike riding at the beach, finding new restaurants, reading, carpentry, and collecting miniatures. Connect on Linkedin!