How to discipline your child effectively now

When most people hear the word discipline, the first thing that comes to mind is punishment. However, discipline involves education, instruction, and correction. Positive discipline has 3 important elements. They include:

Love

Discipline must be accompanied by love, as you are trying to guide your child to walk in the right way. One way to make sure your discipline is loving is to give your child a chance to explain himself. You should never jump to conclusions, as the situation may be quite different than you think. If you suspect that the explanation given is not true, investigate the matter further to get the truth, even if it means that you will have to take more time to address the matter. When discipline is administered after the child has had a chance to explain himself, he is more likely to have positive results. After listening to your child, explain why what he did was wrong. Explain the matter gently; do not scream.

Sanity

If any form of punishment will be administered, make sure it is reasonable. The punishment should not be light when a serious offense has been committed and should not be heavy when the offense committed is very small. Both will have a negative effect. To ensure that discipline is reasonable, you must first consider your child’s age and maturity. If a 7-year-old makes the same mistake as a 14-year-old, the discipline shouldn’t be the same. The youngest child is not as mature as the oldest and has less knowledge of what is wrong and what is right than the 14 year old. Another thing to consider is whether the mistake has become a habit. If this is the first time the mistake has been made, then you can explain to your child why it is wrong. However, if the mistake is repeated several times, punishment may be necessary.

You should also consider your child’s attitude and all the circumstances that led to the mistake. Once all of these factors have been taken into account, you are more likely to apply reasonable discipline.

Consistency

This is very important. Once you say no to your child, you must stick with your decision. When you change your mind, your child may not take you seriously and your discipline will not be effective. Also, make sure you work out with your spouse so that one parent doesn’t say yes and the other doesn’t. When you stick to one answer, your child is more likely to cooperate with you.

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