Effective Discipline Makes for Better Parenting

As a parent, you are torn in multiple directions each day – work, home, volunteering, etc. – and so you want to make effective use of your time when you are disciplining your children so that they learn from it and move on. This can definitely save you time by avoiding reprimands or suitable punishments for your child as well as maintain positive, open line of communications with them.

The key to disciplining your child is all in how you vocalize your message. How you say it and what you say are two important key issues. You have to ensure that what you say to your children is positively communicated instructively rather than derogatorily. Showing respect and confidence in their abilities will require less disciplining from you.

1.  Present a calm front by using a neutral tone. Raising your voice automatically puts children on the defensive and has them questioning your motives.

2.  Stick to your guns. If you impose a one hour time limit for television or play time before bed or some other chore, stick to it. After a few times, the child will automatically do your bidding because they know they cannot weasel their way around your edict.

3.  Reinforce positive behaviors. When your child is doing something good like cleaning up after themselves or sharing their treats with their siblings, immediately acknowledge their good behavior. Children love to please parents and as such will strive to do other positive things for that praise from you.

4. Be specific in your commands. If you tell your child that they will not get treats if he or she does not clean their room, you must be specific in how to clean the room. Younger children must have the commands broken up into specific tasks like "pick up all the Legos and put them in the Lego bucket." Just saying to clean your room can appear like a monumental task.

5. Present positive choices. If there are several things you need your child to accomplish like brushing his teeth and putting on pajamas before bedtime, present these options as a choice so that your child will feel in control of the situation.

As a busy parent who needs things done yesterday, it can be tough to slow down to a child's pace. However, you must do so in order to maintain harmony in the household as well as to effectively discipline your children.