Deborah L. Tillman on Instagram: "Escalation is not always defiance. Often, it’s a missing rule. When a child dumps chips after being told “no,” it’s not a self-control problem. It’s a systems gap. There was no rule before the emotion. No structure before the behavior. Children don’t follow verbal requests in power moments. They follow rules that already exist — and have consequences that are pre-decided. This is the First-Time Response Protocol: One instruction. One pause. One outcome. Set the