Video by drdeborahpurposedparenting

You want to leave your arm here? Come on, come on. I want you! I want you! Mom tries to put him in the car seat. He starts kicking. She stops. She talks. She bargains. He kicks harder. Now the kicking is running the routine. But here's what to do instead. Before you leave, state the rule once.

Car seat first. Then we go. Then buckle immediately. If he resists, place him in the seat calmly. No discussion. The car doesn't move until he's safely buckled. No arguing, no debating. Now the first few trips he'll test harder. That's the old pattern uninstalling, not the system failing. By trip 8 to 10, the resistance is gone.

Children don't need louder parents. They need predictable outcomes. The car seat boundary system is in chapter 25 of the Parenting OS book. The link is in my bio.