How should parents discipline their child? This is a very important question that many parents need quick answers to whenever their child misbehaves.
There are many effective child discipline methods today’s parents can adopt so as not to raise spoilt brats.
In this article, you will find out how to punish a child for bad behavior, how to discipline a child that won’t listen and how to carry out effective discipline.
Below are 10 discipline tips that work:
Understand your child is not perfect
It’s unrealistic to expect your child to be well behaved always. This might stress your child and they might pretend to behave well and then misbehave just to ease the tension. Have realistic behavior expectations from your child.
Take away privileges
One effective discipline technique for children for unacceptable behavior is to take away a privilege. Your child should learn that privileges come with responsibility and he or she needs to earn it. This works best if the privilege is something your child values.
Teach them about consequences
Let your child know what will happen if he or she doesn’t behave well. You have to explain the consequences for bad behavior to them and mean what you say. Be firm without yelling and screaming.
Present cool alternatives
Be a role model to your child and show them the alternative behavior that you want them to change. Don’t use ineffective discipline techniques of punishment as they don’t teach the child what he or she should be doing – there are no alternatives there.
Reward good behavior
If your child does something good, reward him or her. You are encouraging them to do better next time. Hug your child. Pat your child on the back. Compliment and praise your child but it should not be mixed up with bribing a child.
Introduce time outs
Time outs involve physically removing your child from a problematic situation. Your child should be in a boring and quiet place, and you should ignore your child till he or she is calm and quiet. Once your child is calm and ready to talk, you can both discuss why they are misbehaving and why it shouldn’t happen again.
Reinforce the positives
Positive reinforcement is better than punishment. Small rewards like an ice cream treat or seeing a movie can is effective. If your child does something good, don’t forget to praise him or her. Make your praise specific and focused on your child’s behavior.
Use creative diversions
There are other ways to discipline a child without hitting them or shouting at them. If your child is still a toddler, tell them what to do and what not to do so that they don’t harm themselves.
Keep your child grounded
This is another effective discipline technique for kids and teenagers, where you restrict your child to a certain place, like his or her room as a way to punish him or her. You can also stop their friends from visiting for the time being. This is how to discipline a troubled child.
Use the rod with caution
As a parent, you know the popular “Spare the rod, spoil the child” quote but use it with caution. Using beating all the time creates fear and harms your child’s self esteem. If you are not careful, you might injure them one day. Use this technique but not all the time.
