Disciplining Children - A Few Tips
Parenting is not a simple process. If you are a parent, you may find that disciplining your children is the most difficult part. Though it is true that parenting tips are as complex as the parenting process, there are certain tips that may help you in your efforts to discipline your children. These tips are pearls of wisdom because they have been expressed by experts on parenting.
- The foremost thing you should avoid is to stop lecturing your children. Whatever you speak to them should be crisp and brief. Short sentences rather than long ones are certain to make them listen.
- When your children are expressing their emotions or feelings, you should listen to them sincerely and make them understand that you are concerned about their feelings.
- You should be an example to your children. If you advise your children to behave in a particular manner and if your behavior is quite contrary to what you advise them, your advice will not work. You can make them practice good behavior by showing them by example. If you ensure that they learn and practice good behaviors for a month or so, these behaviors will become their regular habits.
- Idle threats will not work unless you intend to enforce those threats. Children will soon understand that your threats are empty. With such an approach, you may not be able to succeed in your efforts to discipline them. Apart from that, your credibility with the children will be lost also.
- The process of disciplining children hinges mainly on your relationship with them. Therefore, if you find that your children have behavioral issues, you must shift your focus towards strengthening your bond as well as attachment with them. If you succeed in this step, you can achieve long-lasting results.
- Yelling at children and scolding them show that you have no power as a parent. Yelling or scolding may cease to hurt children after some time. So, these activities will not yield results.
- Disciplining children means teaching them the required skills that may help them once they grow up as adults. So, instead of punishing them, you should teach them the consequences of their behaviors. But, if you start punishing them, the focus shifts to wielding power on them or controlling them. You may not get positive results from this approach.
- You can introduce a reward system like allowing them to watch their favorite TV programs or playing the games they like. This is better than punishing, yelling or scolding them. This approach will yield positive results also.
- It has been proved that if you ensure to have a good emotional climate in the family, children may not have many discipline-related problems. Even if some problems arise, they can easily be set right.
