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Spare the rod and spoil the child? Well, this is one proverb that got a whole generation, maybe two, to be disciplined most strictly to emerge as responsible humans. Thankfully, parents of the present generation have taken up more humane ways of raising kids that are effective and better in every way. Disciplining kids might seem complicated for parents who don’t like to say no to their kids, but it doesn’t have to feel torturous always. Here are some ways to discipline kids with love that have proven to help them in their overall development.
1. Teach Healthy Habits
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Encourage your kids to follow a proactive life by creating a healthy timetable for everything they do in a day. Help them get excited by making an activity clock where they do everything according to the time. To make it fun, make it a family thing where everyone who follows the timetable daily gets an award at weekend family dinner.
2. Pick Your Battles
Kids will be kids, and you must understand that they will behave like one. For example, when they are angry, they stomp. They might chew the food loudly just to show how angry they are, and they often lie flat on the ground to show their disapproval. But sometimes, the best way to discipline them is to ignore these bits. Giving them space helps them learn better and quicker and without you having to run behind them constantly.
3. Be Firm
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Being soft and loving doesn’t mean giving in to your child’s demands. You might fall weak with those puppy eyes, but the real world won’t, and you are bringing them up for the real world. So they might cry today when you say no to candy after dinner, but you need to hold your ground with a firm no. But do explain to them why it is not a good idea to have candy before sleeping and when they can have it next.
4. Be Consistent
It’s tough to impose rules and regulations on your kid, especially when they are back at you with puppy dog eyes. But you must remember that consistency is the key to raising kids who know the limits. If you impose a rule that ice cream is for weekends only, stick to it. If you break it, they will not take any ground rules seriously.
5. Be Kind
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Just because you want to stand out as a strict parent does not mean you can’t be kind to them. The goal is to raise emotionally healthy kids, which can’t be done if you scream at them, embarrass them and call them names. Sometimes a kind word of encouragement and a hug goes a long way in disciplining a child.
6. Don’t Choose Violence
Yes, in many parts of the civilized world, using physical punishments to raise a child is frowned upon. We are kidding, it’s a punishable offense, and you don’t want to get there. However, if you are a 90’s kid, you can well relate to spanking as a usual way of parents handling situations in their own way. Thankfully parents are more educated about how their actions impact the kids’ lives, and physical punishments such as spanking lose their impact after a specific time and give way to aggression and lack of responsibility.
Fear-based discipline is never good for healthy family bonding. While institutions like prisons are controlled by fear, that is not the environment you want to maintain at home. Instead, ensure you deal with essential virtues like discipline, honesty, and good behavior with patience.
7. Be Logical About Consequences
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It’s essential to be creative while bringing up kids, but you must remember to not get overboard with your stories. Kids are more intelligent than you give them credit for, and they see through your stories. So instead of saying Boogeyman will get them if they don’t brush their teeth, simply show them a child-friendly video of how teeth decay over time without proper dental care and that they won’t be able to eat their favorite food without teeth. So being logical helps kids learn about things the right way.
8. Let Them Learn Naturally
Nature is the best teacher, and parenting is best done when you let your child experience things independently. For example, you might tell your kids to wrap up their toys after they are done playing, but they obviously will have a hard time following your orders. But if you let it go and wait to see what happens, they will probably topple on the toys or lose their favorite toy. This is how they learn to keep their things in place.
Disciplining kids is never easy, and no one ever said it is. However, you must do it right to bring up responsible kids who are an asset to society. The way you parent should be your own way, but no matter how hopeless and frustrated you get, remember, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, so it is always about working smart. So, what do you think is an effective way to parent kids? Let us know in the comments section!
