Do I Discipline My Child In A Healthy Manner?

Do you prepare your child for situations when they might have difficulties behaving well?

Do you make sure to listen to your child?

Do you teach your child right from wrong with calm words and behaviors?

Can you calmly and firmly explain the consequences to your child if they don't behave correctly?

Do you have clear and consistent rules that your child can understand and follow?

Do you give your child attention, and reinforce good behaviors and discourage unfavorable behaviors?

Do you redirect bad behavior?

Do you notice good behavior and praise it?

Do you call a time-out, for example when a specific rule is broken?

Do you know exactly when to respond?

Based on your answers, it’s unlikely that you show healthy discipline towards your child. As a parent, one of your (very important) jobs is to teach your child to behave well. Obviously, this is a job that takes much time and patience. It is recommended to use positive discipline strategies that effectively teach your child to manage their behavior. Remember that yelling (back) at children and using words to cause emotional pain are ineffective strategies and harmful. Harsh verbal discipline can lead to more undesirable behaviors and mental health problems. If you have difficulties educating your child, make sure to seek help.

Based on your answers, you are displaying some signs of showing healthy discipline towards your child, but there is certainly room for improvements. As a parent, it is very important to focus on teaching good behavior, and not on punishing bad actions. It has been found that physical punishment, yelling, or shaming a child, don’t work well to correct a child’s behavior. Not only are these methods ineffective, they can also damage a child’s physical and mental health. If you have difficulties educating your child, make sure to seek help.

Fortunately, you are displaying the signs typically seen among individuals who show healthy discipline towards their child. That is great news! Remember that you can always give yourself a time out if you feel not in control. Just ensure that your child is in a safe place. Give yourself some minutes to calm down. Then, go back to your child and hug him or her. If you feel like you didn’t handle a situation well, try to not worry about it but try to do it different the next time. It is always recommended to use positive discipline strategies that effectively teach your child to manage their behavior.