Top Parental Disciplinary Mistakes To Avoid - What You Need To Know

By Erich Park


Figuring out the correct way to discipline your kids can be overwhelming to some parents. It's possible to err in either direction, by being too strict or too permissive. Your discipline scheme needs to be persistent so your children will not be puzzled. You should also take your child's character in mind. As you read on, we will be offering some great advice on how to avoid some of the pitfalls of discipline.

Sometimes a simple lie may seem appropriate to get the response you are looking for. This will come back to haunt you down the road. These white lies are typically told to induce your child with a hint of fear. Kids are more aware then you might think; therefore you may want to consider how they will feel when they figure out you are not telling them the truth. One instance might be when your child makes a smart face and you tell them their face will freeze like that. It won't be long before your kids catch on to this. Rather than giving them a trumped up story, the best thing to do is explain how improper it may be to look like that. You may feel when your kids are not very old it is fine to tell a little lie as necessary, but you must take into account that they will eventually be able to tell what you are doing and it may backfire on you.

Anytime discipline comes in the picture, you need to be on the same page as everyone else. Children often learn that they can turn to one parent for certain things, and the other parent for others. Miscommunication, such as one parent allowing a child to snack before dinner, when the other one said no, is a really bad example. What it comes down to is children will figure out who they should ask for certain things in order to get their way. This is not a good situation. Communication is very important, especially between parents, to avoid these situations. Perhaps someone else watches your child occasionally. This person should know exactly what you expect. The habit of playing one parent against the other should never be allowed to develop.

Giving your kids a lot of privileges when they are really young is just asking for trouble when they get older. For example, these days parents are understandably worried about their children's safety while using cell phones and the Internet. Simply put, very young kids should not get to have their own phones. You should also supervise them when they go on to the Internet. Prior to a certain age, you cannot expect children to understand the potential problems that can occur with these things. It is up to you, then, to practice some common sense when it comes to electronic devices and technology. If your kids aren't yet ten, they are too young for a cell phone--most experts agree here, though you do need to consider your own comfort level as well as your child's maturity level.

Disciplining your children is always a complicated process and it is not usually easy to avoid making mistakes. Even those things you do that have the best of intentions associated with them can be considered wrong decisions. The only thing that you can do in these instances is learn your own lesson and use a different approach next time. Work consistently at being a better parent because, really, you cannot predict what is going to come your way tomorrow.




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