- Your child needs your LOVE more than anything else.
- You should use discipline to teach your child.
- You should not discipline your child before he or she is old enough to understand the reason for the punishment.
- You should not punish your child for behavior that is part of normal development, such as thumb sucking, speech development, or accidents that occur during toilet training.
- You should not punish your child for anything that is accidental.
- Both parents should be consistent in the application of discipline.
- You should explain to your child, in language that he or she can understand, why the unacceptable behavior must be punished.
- You should not deprive your child of essentials, such as food, as a form of punishment.
- Do not subject your child to excessive physical punishment.
- You should make as few rules as necessary and make them simple to understand.
- You should be a good role model for your child.
Children who are often in trouble usually suffer from too little affection, rather than too little punishment. The responsibility for starting the child in the right way belongs to the parents. Parents must serve as good examples for their children. Attitudes and behaviors of the children can be expected to be no better than those of the parents.
Children learn best from repetition, practice, and example; lecturing is less effective. The age at which punishment is appropriate depends on the intelligence and maturity of the child. Punishment, when required, should be immediate and inevitable. The penalty should be specified in advance and should be adhered to strictly. The form of punishment should be appropriate to the seriousness of the misbehavior and to the child's age. After a child has been punished, it is important to reassure the child that he or she is still loved and a valued member of the family and that the transgression has been forgiven.
Rules should be as few and clear as possible, but they should be strictly and consistently enforced. Rules must be appropriate to the age of the child. The child must understand that a specified punishment is automatically invoked for a specific unacceptable behavior. Threats that the parent does not intend to carry out should always be avoided.
There are many types of disciplinary methods. Rewards reinforce good behavior. Rewards may take the form of a smile, verbal praise, special attention, special activities, hugs, extra privileges, or material benefits. Positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment. Punishment is useful to stop inappropriate behavior. Punishment includes verbal disapproval, an unhappy look, ignoring harmless behavior, temporary isolation, temporary removal of a privilege, or spanking. Attempts to tease or shame children will cause them to feel inferior and helpless and should be avoided.
Many find that the "time-out technique" is often successful for discipline. When your child misbehaves, take him or her to a quiet, safe room, such as a bedroom. Tell your child that he or she must remain alone for a set period of time. Limit the time-out to one minute for each year of the child's age. (For example, a 3-year-old should sit out for no longer than 3 minutes.) Do not talk to the child during the time out. After each time-out, welcome your child back into the family circle. It is important to show your child that he or she has been forgiven. For a time-out to be effective there must also be "time-in."
To summaries this piece of work this shows us that children can’t be given unlimited freedom because they will run wild, and this also shows that children require your love and support in life not only as a child but also when they are growing up. This also shows us that children who are NOT disciplined tend to be “Greedy, dishonest, selfish etc…” these children also seem to get into more trouble than children who receive more love and support during their childhood. It also says that you should NOT use discipline on children that are too young to understand what is going on, due to this may effect their mental development. This also shows us that ‘time out’ is one of the best disciplines in the way to teach a child to stop misbehaving.