Stay Calm
How many times we land up shouting or hitting our children simply because we lost our cool? Never mind why we lost our temper, but hitting a child never accomplishes anything, and it can actually be categorised as abuse, if done regularly. Child abuse will make your children insecure, under confident, aggressive and distrustful towards family members. And hitting your child in a grip of rage is a big no, for you and for your child. It will not make the child understand anything about why you are being so aggressive, and you will land up with a giant-size guilt, and may tend to indulge your child later in a show of affection, which will again be misappropriate. So keep your cool, and stay calm. Remember small steps matter in inculcating a sense of discipline and responsibility in your child, and you are leading by example.
Be Consistent In Your Approach
We often don’t realise that as parents we are sending confused signals to our children. By reacting more when our toddlers’ behaviour in public embarrasses us, and less for the same at home, we are not setting up a very consistent standard for them. As parents, you need to be consistent in your approach. If touching a decorative item at home is not allowed, supervise your child when outside to make sure he is not touching and playing with such items even outside home. If hitting child is unacceptable behaviour at home, make sure you drive your point across every time your child gets into a fight, or bullies other children, pets etc. Simple commands, like ‘No’ and ‘Don’t’, are much more powerful words, than shouting or hitting little children. Try it.
Reward Positive Behaviour
We punish our children for doing things wrong, but what about lauding them for doing things correct? If we expect children to understand punishment as a disciplinary act, why shouldn’t they understand reward as a positive reinforcement? So next time your child does something good, like eats her lunch, behaves herself in public, or goes through an evening of play without getting into trouble, reward her with a hug, or a kiss. Tell her you are proud of her, and allow her to be proud of herself. Love can go a long way in making your toddler disciplined, than punishment. Show her your love and watch her flourish.
