Guest Post - 3 Temper-Free Ways to Discipline Your Children

Thank you everyone for your support earlier today  in regards to my little doggie incident, it was so sweet. However my drama over shadowed the fact that I had a guest blogger! So I am re-posting this  so you all can say hello to Shannon :) Here is her post...



Perhaps the hardest part of parenting is disciplining your child – you don’t know if you should spare the rod and spoil the child or spank them when they’re naughty and risk affecting their mental psyche for life. It’s a fine line that parents must tread, because if they’re too lenient with their kids, they risk letting them grow up with no discipline whatsoever, and if they hold the reins of control too firmly, they risk stunting their child’s mental and emotional growth.

Discipline is tough to enforce simply because most parents end up losing their temper when they should instead act rationally and focus on getting their child to understand that what they did was wrong and why they should not repeat such behavior. The best way to teach your child good manners and how to differentiate from right and wrong is to:

·         Only pretend to get angry: This works with younger children who usually do not know why they’re being disciplined or punished. They’re just acting on their natural instincts and being children when they’re naughty or disobedient. Sometimes, they act up just so they can get your attention when it is elsewhere. And when you lose your temper, you risk harming them, both emotionally and mentally. My sister has this bad habit of grinding her teeth when she gets angry with her kids when they misbehave or fail to listen to her. And when she hits them in this mood, I feel that it affects them adversely. I tell her that while it’s ok to discipline her girls, it’s not ok to lose her temper. Her anger is visible to her daughters, and they are not benefiting in any way through the realization that she is losing control over herself. You must pretend to get angry, not really lose control and say or do things that you will regret later.

·         Talk to your children: This is the best way to deal with the older kids who are in their teens and tweens. They are in a position to understand what they do and say, so if you lose your temper with them, it could backfire on you badly and ruin their lives in the process. They could become rebellious and go on to do worse things because they want to prove to you that they can, or they could withdraw into a shell and become depressed, morose and moody if you ground them and forbid interactions with their friends. When you talk to your child, you can make them understand that you’re only looking out for their best interests and that you love them, in spite of anything else.
 

·         Show them your other emotions: Your children love you, no matter what they do or say. So instead of getting angry, show them that you’re sad or disappointed by their behavior. This works better on their psyche and they think twice before repeating their act of indiscipline the next time.

Remember, anger works adversely in the long run, so adopt other ways to make your child understand the value of discipline.

By-line:

This article is written by Shannon Wills, who writes on the topic of Physical Therapist Assistant Schools . She welcomes your comments at her email id : shannonwills23@gmail.com .