There are so many different discipline techniques out there and as parents it is sometimes difficult to find what method will work best. However, it is of utmost importance to discipline children in an effective manner and always praise their good behavior. Doing this will allow you to really enforce good behavior and eliminate the bad. The following discipline techniques are just a few of the ones that many families find to work well for their children. Ignore Bad Behavior First of all, when your child is acting out he more than likely wants your attention. You dont want to reward bad behavior with your attention so you simply ignore it. This will be difficult to do because your first response is to tell your child to stop, that he is being ugly, etc. However, if you ignore the behavior your child will think that it doesnt make any impact on you at all and he will soon become bored. When bad behavior receives a lot of attention kids sometimes feel that when they need attention they can simply act out and then mom and dad will pay attention. Dont fall into this trap. Completely ignore your childs bad behavior as long as nobody is getting hurt. Then, when your child stops begin to praise him. Say how nice he is being, how much you love it when he does what he is asked, and smother him with the attention and love he was seeking. He will soon associated good behavior with attention and bad behavior with no attention and your child will be better behaved! Punishment Fits the Crime Too often parents go overboard with punishment. One small infraction might receive a really big punishment. This is no way to discipline your children. Instead, consider having preset punishments. When your child does not do his chores then he knows he will be forfeiting his favorite television show for a week. Or, if your child hits another person he knows immediately that he will have to hold that persons hand for an hour. Coming up with punishments as a family and even letting your kids have a say will make discipline a lot easier because your child knows what will happen if he doesnt behave as he should. Rewarding Good Behavior The best way to discipline is to always reward good behavior. This might not seem like discipline, but in a way it is. When you positively reinforce good behavior then you are showing your child that bad behavior will not be accepted and your child will want to behave well in order to be rewarded. You may find some other methods of disciplining your child that work for you and that is fine. These are just a few methods that have been around for a while that really seem to have good results.

Posted in Parenting

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