How To Discipline Without Spanking Stratford CT

Disciplining children is a tricky subject for parents, and indeed, for those without children as well! There are many different points of view, especially about spanking. Some think that corporal punishment is abuse and others see it as a vital method of discipline for any child being raised correctly. However, for parents who are opposed to spanking, or those who have mixed feelings, there are many effective ways to discipline your child without spanking.

1. Stay calm. No matter which method of discipline you choose, your child needs you to stay calm while disciplining him. This will help your child understand that the consequences are not arising out of your anger, but because a consequence is appropriate for his actions. Staying calm will also help you avoid actions that you might later regret!
2. Take a break. If you can't stay calm, temporarily remove yourself or your child from the situation. Sending your child to her room or leaving the room yourself will give you the chance to calm down and proceed appropriately. You can always come back and explain the consequences to your child after you have calmed yourself down.
3. Don't reward unwanted behavior. Children love and crave their parents' attention, and will often do anything to get it. This includes "negative" attention, such as yelling, screaming or lecturing. Doing any of these things may end up reinforcing your child's behavior.
4. Implement time-outs. A time-out is a calm way to deal with misbehaving children, which does not reinforce their behavior. Have a specific time-out chair or corner and send your child to this designated spot when he misbehaves. Do not argue about what will happen next, just keep repeating that you will talk to him after the time-out is over. A good rule of thumb is to limit the time-out to one minute for every year of the child's life. For very young children, three to five minutes can seem like an eternity!...

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Author: Bronwyn Harris