Are you one of those parents who believe that disciplining a child is
something left better for later than sooner? Do you find yourself cleaning up
all the time and the chores never ending? Can little Johnny, four years old,
throw his toys around and leave his clothes strewn around the bedroom for you
to pick up? It is time for both you and little Johnny to wake up and smell the
coffee grinds on the floor and get out the mop. Most times parents are so enamored
with their kids that the kids can scream from the top of the stairs or hang
from the chandelier and the doting parent will say, aahh… isn’t he cute? When
the time comes for them to instil real discipline, they don’t know what to do
because cute little Johnny is in control.
Your kids’ bad behavior is not cute to anyone but you
I’m the most beloved and doting mother that there is, but the moment I
came home with my son from the hospital what seems like a hundred years ago now,
I took him straight into his room and put him in his crib. First, he needed his
own space, and two, I was not going to turn Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan
down on the stereo. The location of the crib tells everyone that that is the
baby’s domain.
Do’s and don’ts when disciplining a child
·
Do not sleep with your baby in your bed. Teach your
child independence from the start. Let him become more familiar with his own
space, where he is being bathed, cuddled and loved. If your child is fed and
comfortable, put him down in his crib where he can be a little by himself and
fall asleep on his own. A new mother who takes a short cut at this stage by
picking up your infant every time he whimpers, pays the price later on.
·
Having said this, it is all right to have sessions
with your kids on special occasions where they can all clamber onto the duvet
and have a little bonding session.
·
Don’t let friends and family members disrupt the
child’s sleeping time by picking him up when he is asleep. Take your guests
into the living room. Don’t gather in your infant’s room.
·
Once you make a rule about something, stick with it.
If your child misbehaves at the supper table and repeatedly spits out his food
or lets the spaghetti strands hang from his head, tell him that there is no
television now and that he has a five minute timeout. Don’t let him change this
rule about waiting in his room for his time to pass.
·
Don’t shout at your kids; screaming is more a release
for you than for them and does not help anyone. You can be more effective
taking the situation in hand and just leading little Johnny to his room. A
screaming child can’t win just because he can shout louder than you. And you
are the boss, aren’t you?
·
Don’t bribe your child and don’t be taken in by
promises which you have repeatedly allowed the child to break before. Besides,
it will show that you have no confidence in your actions. The same with your
teenage son. If he does not do his chores, there is no allowance. If he rails
at you, tell him you love him, but that he first has to prove himself.
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