Disciplining Children

1 Pages 334 Words

Disciplining Children


Children need discipline within reason. Not abuse to know they are bad. The word discipline, which comes from the root word disciplinare-to teach or instruct- refers to the system of teaching and nurturing that prepares children to achieve competence, self-control, self-direction, and caring for others. An effective discipline system must contain three vital elements; a learning environment characterized by positive, supportive parent-child relationships, a strategy for decreasing or eliminating undesired or ineffective behaviors. Each of these components needs to be functioning adequately for discipline to result in improved child behavior.
The earliest discipline strategy is passive and occurs as infants and their caregivers gradually develop a mutually satisfactory schedule of feeding, sleeping, and awaking. Biologic rhythms tend to become more regular and adapt to family routines. The main parental discipline for infants is to provide generally structured daily routines but also to learn to recognize and respond flexibly to the infant’s needs. As infants become more mobile and initiate more contact, parents must impose limitations and structure to create safe spaces for them to explore and play. (Reid JB. Prevention of conduct disorder before and after school entry: relating interventions to developmental findings. Dev Psychopathol. 1993;5:243-262)

Equally important, parents must protect them from potential hazards and introduce activities that distract their children from potential hazards. Such proactive behaviors are central to discipline for toddlers. Communicating verbally, NO, helps prepare the infant for later use of reasoning. As children grow older and interact with wider, more complex physical and social environments, the adults who care for them must develop increasingly creative strategies to protect them and teach them orderly and desirable patterns of behavior. Because of consistent s...