Line Of Discipline

One fine day, my friend Sneha came to me complaining about her inefficiency in inculcating discipline in her two kids. Having her parent in laws is one major reason as they always interfere in between mother and kids, so children started taking advantage of this situation, so play accordingly. This is a typical scenario in joint families, but in most of cases, disciplining kids has become a tough task, even though theirs is nuclear families.

Here are few steps, to instil discipline in children:

* Try to fix time on a regular basis to do something fun with your child.

*  Never ever disagree about discipline in front of the children.

*  Never give an order, request, or command without being able to enforce it at the time.

*  Agree on what behavior is desirable and not desirable; and also agree on how to respond to undesirable behavior.

*  Make it very clear on what the child is to expect if he or she performs the undesirable behavior. Be specific on things which are deviating from the set norms.

*  Once you have stated your position and the child attacks that position, do not keep defending yourself. Just restate the position once more and then stop responding to the attacks.

*  Look for gradual changes in behavior. Don’t expect too much. Acknowledge when you see development in child’s behavior.

* Most important point to be remembered is that, your behavior serves as a model for your children’s behavior.

*  If, one of you is disciplining a child and the other enters the room, then also refraining from the argument in progress is must.

*  Discipline won't come overnight; it requires constant effort with patience. If you understand this secret, your journey becomes easy.

- Bhavana