Thought for the week…
Parenting Ideas…
Discipline should be about teaching, not about retribution. Discipline should be about minimizing problematic behavior, not minimizing our children. When disciplining your child, try to enact the consequence that is least harsh, but most likely to decrease a negative behavior. Some consequences, ordered from least to most harsh, are:
1) Ignoring inappropriate behavior
2) Increased supervision of the child (e.g. calling home from work more often).
3) Allowing the child to endure consequences, such as washing extra dishes if they don’t take their turn.
4) Teaching them personal responsibility, such as paying for damaged items out of their allowance.
5) Removal of meaningful privileges, such as playing with friends.
6) Adding unpleasant consequences, such as additional chores.
It is worth noting that discipline and limit setting can be done in a loving way - a child does not need to be humiliated. Explain what their misdeed was in a calm way and then enact the consequence. It is also wise to work with the child to problem solve, so they can avoid the situation next time.