Table 1.

Example script from brief video demonstrating conversation practice (positive parenting practice paired with discussion of a weight-related behavior).

Speaker	Dialogue
Narrator	“This video shows two examples of a mother and daughter talking about sweet drinks. In the first example, Mom is pushing, or telling, Brianna to cut back on sweet drinks. In the second example, Mom uses a pulling, or asking, approach.”
Mother	(Mom is preparing dinner while Brianna does her homework at the kitchen table. Mom addresses Briana with a bossy tone of voice) “Brianna, I’d like to talk to you about something. Do you have a minute?”
Daughter	(Not happy to be interrupted) “Um, I’m kind of in the middle of my homework. What do you want?”
Mother	“I’ve been thinking about how we can get healthier. I’ve decided that it’s really important for us to stop drinking so much soda and juice. It’s not good for our health—we should be drinking water instead. I’m going to stop buying sweet drinks so we won't have them in the house anymore. I don’t want you to have any when you're with your friends either, okay? Trust me, I know what’s best.”
Daughter	(Exasperated—can’t believe this is what Mom interrupted her to talk about) “Seriously? That’s what you wanted to talk about? I really don’t see what the big deal is. All my friends drink soda. Besides, it’s so boring drinking water all the time! I’m not a baby, and I’m not just going to stop drinking soda and juice.”
Narrator	“Using a pushy OR CONTROLLING tone doesn’t seem to work with Brianna. In the next example, let’s see what might have happened if Mom tried a pulling approach instead. Notice how this time Brianna is encouraged to think about her decisions rather than just being told what to do.”
Mother	(Walks over to the table and sits down with Brianna) “Brianna, I’d like to talk to you about soda and juice. As a family, we’re trying to be healthier and I’m wondering what thoughts you have about soda and juice.”
Daughter	“I don’t know. I don’t really see what the problem is. All my friends drink soda.”
Mother	“Let’s talk about this. What ideas do you have about why sweet drinks may not be such a healthy choice?”
Daughter	“Well, they do have a lot of calories, right?”
Mother	“That’s true. They have lots of sugar and calories. How might that be affecting you?”
Daughter	“Well, I guess it could keep me from losing weight.”
Mother	“Yeah, that could be. All those empty calories make it easy to gain weight. So how might we go about drinking less of these sugary drinks?”
Daughter	“I don’t really know. I guess I could try to cut back.”
Mother	“That’s a great idea. How much do you think is reasonable each week?”
Daughter	“Um, maybe I could limit myself to soda every other day?”
Mom	“That would be a really great start! I know you said drinking water is boring. But if you add a slice of lemon or lime to it, it has more flavor. Would you be willing to try that?”
Daughter	“Yeah, I could give that a try.”
Mother	“What other ways can you think of to cut back on sugary drinks?”
Daughter	“I sometimes see my teacher drinking flavored seltzer. Could I drink that?”
Mother	“Sure! That’s a great idea. I'll buy a few flavors and you can see which ones you like.”
Narrator	“Brianna responds better when her mom uses pull language. Instead of telling Brianna what she must do, Mom asks questions and gets Brianna’s opinions and ideas about sweet drinks. Brianna is more willing to consider cutting back when she is allowed to be involved in the decisions.”