Confessions of an ABA Parent: Things I Never Thought I’d Say Until We Started Therapy

Let’s be real: parenting is already a wild ride.
Throw in ABA therapy, and suddenly you’re saying things you never imagined would come out of your mouth.

Here are a few gems from the “Did I really just say that?” hall of fame — and why they actually make perfect sense (kind of).

“No, you can’t have juice until you touch your nose.”

ABA 101: First → Then.
At some point, you’ll hear yourself saying something like,

“First touch your head, then we’ll watch Blippi.”
Congratulations, you’re officially using premack principle in the wild.
Your college self would be confused, but your BCBA is proud.

“We do NOT reinforce tantrums about dinosaurs at Target!”

Translation: We’re trying so hard not to accidentally teach our kid that screaming = getting a new plush stegosaurus.
Holding firm is heroic.
Not buying the toy? Olympic level self-control.

 “Use your words… and by words, I mean any words. Even ‘no!’”

Before ABA, you thought you’d only celebrate polite words like “please” or “thank you.”
Now?
If your child says anything instead of screaming, you’re basically planning a parade.

“Did I just do a preference assessment on my spouse?”

Yes. Yes, you did.
You caught yourself offering them two desserts and saying,

“Pick one! I’m collecting data on which you choose most often.”
That’s ABA brain. It happens to the best of us.

“Hold on, let me graph this.”

Other parents have baby books.
You have scatterplots, bar graphs, and trend lines taped to the fridge.
Data = life. And yes, you’re a little obsessed.

“Wow, that was some next-level manding.”

Sometimes you drop ABA terms into casual conversation with other adults.
They stare.
You feel fancy.
(It’s fine, you earned it.)

In all seriousness...

If you find yourself laughing at how weird parenting + ABA can get, you’re doing great.
It means you’re in it — and that you care enough to learn, practice, and sometimes look hilariously awkward in the process.

The truth?
ABA isn’t about being perfect.
It’s about progress, not perfection — and sometimes, about finding humor in the chaos.

If you ever want to laugh, cry, or ask why your living room now looks like a therapy room, we’re here for you.
Because yes — ABA parents are a little different.
But we wouldn’t have it any other way.