What is Discipline?

Discipline is often thought of as punishing or correcting bad behavior. However, discipline is more about setting reasonable limits for your children and teaching them how to care for themselves and others. Here are some ideas for how to use discipline in your home.

Be consistent

Respect their mother. Whether or not you are married, make sure your actions are consistent with her.

Make sure your own actions are regular. If your discipline is not consistent, you may confuse the child.

How to make rules

Choose your rules carefully and only have a few. Make sure you always, enforce those rules.

Explain. If children understand why you chose those rules, they will be more likely to follow them.

How to use consequences

Always tell the child the consequences is: "If you don't pick your toys, then you can't watch TV tonight." This way, the child has a choice to pick up his/her toys, or to leave them on the floor and not watch TV.

If your child misbehaves, enforce the consequences immediately. Otherwise he/she will not link their action with the consequences, and bad behavior may continue.

When enforcing a consequence, link it to the problem behavior: "I am taking away your crayons because I asked you not to write on the wall." This will also help the child to learn what they did wrong.

Build respect with your child

You child is not going to obey simply because "I an the dad and you are the child" - Its more complicated than that.

Build a bond with your child. Without a bond, your child may not respect your rules and discipline.

Children learn by example. Model the qualities you want to see in your children

Tips for speaking to your children

Praise good behavior. It can be a simple as "I'm so proud of you when you put your toys away!"

Be firm and specific. "Eat with your fork, not with your hand ", is better than "Stop being a pig."

Don't lecture, ask questions."How do you think Suzy feels when you push her in the park?"

Play games. Instead of "Get ready to go outside" try "Let's see who can put on their coat first!"

• Respect their mother. Whether or not you are married, make sure your actions are consistent with her.

• Make sure your own actions are regular. If your discipline is not consistent, you may confuse the child.

• Choose your rules carefully and only have a few. Make sure you always, enforce those rules.

• Explain. If children understand why you chose those rules, they will be more likely to follow them.

• Always tell the child the consequences is: "If you don't pick your toys, then you can't watch TV tonight." This way, the child has a choice to pick up his/her toys, or to leave them on the floor and not watch TV.

• If your child misbehaves, enforce the consequences immediately. Otherwise he/she will not link their action with the consequences, and bad behavior may continue.

• When enforcing a consequence, link it to the problem behavior: "I am taking away your crayons because I asked you not to write on the wall." This will also help the child to learn what they did wrong.

• You child is not going to obey simply because "I an the dad and you are the child" - Its more complicated than that.

• Build a bond with your child. Without a bond, your child may not respect your rules and discipline.

• Children learn by example. Model the qualities you want to see in your children

• Praise good behavior. It can be a simple as "I'm so proud of you when you put your toys away!"

• Be firm and specific. "Eat with your fork, not with your hand ", is better than "Stop being a pig."

• Don't lecture, ask questions."How do you think Suzy feels when you push her in the park?"

• Play games. Instead of "Get ready to go outside" try "Let's see who can put on their coat first!"