No mother or father disciplines children with absolute perfection and parents may expect to make mistakes in this process. Parenting involves a learning curve and all parents will eventually find the methods of child discipline which suites them and their children. It is advised that parents stay away from patterns of missteps and omissions that may have lasting negative effects on children.

Physical Abuse

Slapping, punching, burning, whipping and other methods of violence inflicted upon children is not discipline. They are abuse and serve as unhealthy ways for a parent to vent anger. This behaviour indicates a basic defect in the parent’s communication skills towards their children and a gross misunderstanding of the parent’s responsibilities.

Authoritarianism

Often the need arise for parents to declare to children that they are the parents and for that reason a child will listen to the parent. This behaviour will certainly lead to rebellion in children in their adolescence.

Verbal Thrashing

Always remember that words may hurt your children. Harsh and degrading words always burns its way into the memory and emotions of a child. This abuse will scar the heart and mind of a child and this is not a proper exercise of parental authority.

Yelling and Screaming

Some parents wrongfully conclude that children will react when they raise their voices in anger. In fact, a child realize that an action is about to occur when the parents voices are raised and will act on that action. If no action is followed after the raising voices, children will often come to ignore the most intense outbursts.

Little or No Adult Involvement

Often, both parents may be too busy to set and enforce consistent limits. Children left to their own devices are likely not to be happy or relaxed as they constantly are trying not to exceed the wrong limits and are not sure about them.

Bribery

Parents should guard not to present bribes over every direction they give a child. Children should never become accustomed to a prize for taking any actions. Moral values need to be internalized and not merely bought and sold.

Jason Ladock

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Jason Ladock