The House Project - Living Room Conversations

Redirection: What Are We Teaching Instead?

“Stop.” “Don’t do that.” “Put that down.”

As parents, we spend a lot of time telling our children what we don’t want them to do. But how often do we show them what they can do instead?

This week on The House Project: Living Room Conversations, we’re talking about redirection—what it means, what it can look like in everyday parenting, and how to turn a challenging moment into an opportunity to teach.

Join me for an honest conversation about helping our children learn while giving ourselves room to learn, too.

Real conversations for real people.

A few sour blueberries made me quit blueberries for years. I didn’t decide to. My environment decided for me.

In this episode, I explain what’s actually behind that. Whether you call it ABA or not, the science is the same: what’s around you shapes what you do. It shapes why you go to work, where you live, why you keep clicking back to the shopping tab, and why your toddler throws things when they’re upset.

We cover:

• Why willpower and “trying harder” usually aren’t the real problem
• The “ABA is too rigid” critique, and why structure isn’t the same as rigid
• Simple changes at home, like giving shoes and toys one place, closing the tabs and having fewer things in reach
• Why organized doesn’t mean spotless (this episode has nothing to do with cleaning your house)

This week’s one thing: notice the thing in your environment that makes you snap.

Next week, we’re talking about replacement behaviors.

Living Room Conversations is from The House Project, a pediatric ABA clinic in Laurel, Maryland. Learn more at thehouseprojects.org.

Stay strong, stay consistent, and remember: your best life is just one reinforcer away.

What does "discipline" mean in your house? In this episode, Stephanie Jean-Pierre, BCBA and founder of The House Project, gets honest about discipline growing up. Along the way, she asks a bigger question: are our kids making choices because they understand them, or because they're scared of us?

Stephanie walks through how she uses the science of behavior at home, from sorting behaviors into negotiables and nonnegotiables to figuring out what a child is actually getting out of a behavior. She also talks about why apologizing to your kids matters, and what a pointless movie theater line taught her about the parenting habits we inherit without question.

You'll walk away with three practical steps:

• Get clear on your limits.
• Decide ahead of time what happens when a limit is crossed.
• Give your child choices within that limit, and notice when they get it right.

No perfection required. You have permission to be firm, to take a minute when you're overwhelmed, and to stop doing something just because everybody before you did it.

The House Project – Living Room Conversations

This episode we sit down with, Heather. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst who is navigating a busy schedule of life with a child on the spectrum.

In this episode, we explore how encouraging small acts of independence in your children can buy you back valuable time. Through a relatable story about morning shoe struggles, backwards Crocs, and velcro practice, Stephanie shares how letting go of perfectionism helped eliminate morning chaos and freed up precious moments before work.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Embracing Imperfect Progress: Why letting your child try—even if they end up wearing their shoes on the wrong feet—is a crucial first step.
• Choosing the Easiest Path First: How finding simple, manageable solutions (like slip-on shoes) gives you immediate time back while building toward harder skills.1
• Reclaiming Your Mornings: How small steps toward childhood independence create freedom and reduce stress for parents.

Reflection Question:What do you need more time for, and what skill can your child start learning this week to help you get there?

This week on Living Room Conversations, we're diving into independence — for our kids and for ourselves.

Stephanie shares the moment in a Costco aisle that started her family's potty training journey, and why the fastest choice in the moment is so often the one that costs us later. She walks through what actually worked at home, what didn't, and the seven weeks it took start to finish — accidents, wet sheets, dollar store underwear and all.

If you've been told it only takes a weekend, this conversation is for you. We cover when to ditch the training pants, how to keep timing consistent, and how to handle accidents without shame — plus one small thing to try with your child this week.

Living Room Conversations is hosted by Stephanie Jean-Pierre, BCBA and founder of The House Project, a pediatric ABA clinic in Laurel, Maryland. thehouseprojects.org

This week on Living Room Conversations, Stephanie invites guest Tanya Nicolas to talk about the desire to travel and enjoy trips away while raising a child with autism.

Between therapy, working on things at home, and just managing day to day — getting out the door is no easy feat. Tanya talks about how she jumped into the life she wanted to live, learned along the way, and built a rhythm her whole family loves.

If the thought of leaving the house leaves you overwhelmed, let this one encourage you.

Living Room Conversations is hosted by Stephanie Jean-Pierre, BCBA and founder of The House Project, a pediatric ABA clinic in Laurel, Maryland. thehouseprojects.org

This year I put our house on the market. Forty-two days later, I took it off. This one's about what it costs to walk away from the plan everyone expects you to follow — for a house, a milestone chart, or your kid's therapy plan.

Mornings can feel like a battlefield — meltdowns, missed routines, and a whole lot of stress before the day even starts. In this episode of The House Project - Living Room Conversations, we dig into the "morning time disaster" so many families face and break down simple, practical reinforcement strategies that can turn chaotic mornings into manageable ones.

We'll talk about:

• Why mornings are often the hardest part of the day for kids with behavioral or developmental needs
• How reinforcement (not bribery!) can build lasting routines
• Small, doable changes that make a big difference — no complicated systems required

Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or provider, this episode offers real strategies you can start using tomorrow morning.