Teaching Discipline - Discipline Techniques For Teaching Self Control And Acceptable Behaviors

The reason for teaching discipline to children is to help them learn how to respect others and to express their needs and feelings in a socially acceptable manner. Providing discipline to your children as they are growing up helps them to become responsible adults. For any discipline method to be effective, it has to be appropriate for the child's stage of development. A child, no matter what their age, isn't able to complete a task that they are not developmentally ready to perform. Children of all ages need to receive a lot of praise, hugs, and smiles as positive reinforcement for doing the right things. A hug or a thank you is much more meaningful than a piece of candy or a toy.

Physical punishment is not an effective way of teaching discipline to your children. Hitting a child only teaches them that it's okay to hit others when they are upset or angry. The best way to teach discipline is to practice what you teach and lead by example. Your children learn more by your actions rather than your words. If your current discipline method doesn't seem to be working, try something different. The methods that worked when your children were toddlers, probably will not work when they are in elementary school. It is essential to remember that your role as a parent is to help your children to develop into adulthood, and their short term behavior is not nearly as important as how they will behave when they are 20 or 30. Your discipline should focus on correcting inappropriate behaviors and teaching them the acceptable behaviors.

Children need to learn discipline because it is not something that comes to them naturally. Parents have a responsibility to teach discipline to their children. Teaching discipline to your children takes a lot of patience and time. As children start learning self-control and socially acceptable behaviors, disciplining will become easier. It is important that children be taught discipline. They do not come out of the womb with it. Parents need to teach it to them along life's patch. Teaching of discipline takes time and repetition but it gets less frustrating as children learn behavior control on their own. The best part is that the teaching of discipline does not have to do damage to either the kids or the parents. Discipline is creating limits and boundaries and redirecting inappropriate behavior. However, discipline is also positive reinforcement, encouragement, guidance and enhancing self esteem. Discipline also encourages children to think for themselves.

Always remember that teaching discipline to your children will help them to grow up to be happy, responsible and well respected adults. No one has ever said that raising children is easy, but as children begin to learn self-control and acceptable behaviors, the discipline does become easier. It is important to invest in your children's emotional well being when they are young and you will be proud of the wonderful adults you have raised.


Source: Elaine Richey (ArticleDashboard.com)

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What's the best way to discipline a toddler?

Think of discipline as a form of teaching, not a form of punishment. Your child needs to learn how to get along with others and stay safe. He's an eager student, but the most important lessons — sharing, patience, cooperation, caution — will take a few years to sink in. As his main teacher, it's your job to reinforce the lessons with consistency, patience, and compassion.

Consistency is especially important for toddlers. If Mom's computer was off-limits yesterday, it should be off-limits today. And don't worry about repeating yourself. A toddler may need to hear something literally a hundred times before he gets the message.

When he does misbehave, he doesn't need a lecture. Give him a firm "no," perhaps with a quick explanation such as "you could get hurt" or "that's not a toy." Then redirect him to a more desirable activity. Toddlers have short attention spans, so he'll probably be happy to move on.

Time-outs can be helpful, but few children understand the concept until they're at least 3 years old. For a younger child, time-outs are confusing and frustrating. If your child is old enough to understand time-outs, use them sparingly and limit them to three minutes or less — just long enough for your child to get control of himself. Put him in a "naughty chair" instead of sending him to his room — you don't want him to associate his room with punishment. Consider sitting with him. He'll probably calm down faster, and you could use the break, too.

No matter how badly your child is behaving, hitting shouldn't be an option. Spanks and slaps teach children to be afraid of their parents. And even though you would never intend to hurt your child, it's easy to lose control when you're angry. If you feel like hitting your child, give yourself a time-out until the feeling passes.

Discipline doesn't always have to be negative. Praise your child when you "catch" him being good, like sharing a toy with a friend or picking up a mess. He'll learn that he doesn't have to misbehave to get your attention.

Finally, make it as easy as possible for your child to do the right thing. Try to avoid putting him in situations he can't handle. For example, don't take him on long shopping trips when he's tired and hungry. And don't surround him with things he's not allowed to touch. If his world is cluttered with temptations, you'll spend all day saying "no." Try to maximize his opportunities to play and explore but minimize his chances to get into trouble.


Source: Sandy Bailey (babycenter)

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