
Hitting is one of the bad parenting habits and it is very difficult for parents to quit such habit when they start following this technique. Here are some constructive ways parents can follow when they feel like hitting their kids.Corporal punishment has now been formally banned by the law in most schools for good reason. Child psychiatrists say that nothing damages the fragile psychology of a child more than being physically hit. Unfortunately many parents still believe that
hitting the child occasionally is a normal and unavoidable thing to do. Here are some things that you could do to control your anger and prevent yourself from ever hitting your kids.
Making a Commitment to Keep your Temper
Losing your temper and hitting your kid may sometimes seem like the easiest thing to do unless you make a serious commitment to yourself for not losing your cool. Learn to identify the triggers that make you fly into a rage like being ignored, disobeyed or lied to by your kid. The moment you identify the trigger and know that this is what irks you making an effort to control your
behaviour becomes much easier. Making the promise to stay calm to yourself is the beginning of peace for you and your kids.
Expect to Be Provoked
The problem with some parents is that they expect their kids to be perfect all the time and then fly off the handle when kids do not confirm to these high expectations. For a few parents the sense of disappointment is so great that they are tempted to hit their children. An easy way of breaking this vicious cycle is to understand that children are apt to be naughty and
disobedient at times and this is perfectly natural.
When you expect your kids to provoke you anyway you would not feel as irritated or angry as you do when you expect them to be perfect. This is also when you will be better prepared to be calm and deal with the situation.
Identify your Circle of Concern
Most parents assume that they are responsible for each and every event in their kids’ life and then end up becoming frustrated when things do not turn out exactly as they wanted. This frustration builds up rage and ultimately this culminates into the parent hitting the child. Psychiatrists say that it is very important to identify the circle of concern for every parent, if they want to
manage their anger effectively.
For example, helping your kid with difficult problems is your concern but ensuring that your child scores an A in all subjects is something beyond your circle of concern as the grades depend upon a lot other factors that you cannot possibly influence. The moment you identify that you are not responsible for all the things that can go wrong in your child’s life you can feel the pressure lifting from you. Ultimately your anger will also reduce and you will be able to help your kid more constructively.
Do Your Homework
If you notice a particular frame of time or a particular impending situation which can provoke you to become violent then you should do everything in your power to prevent your negative reaction. You can do things like breathing exercises, power yoga, meditation, and chant or even try listening to some calming music to soothe your nerves. The ultimate objective is to drain away the negativity and frustration which may provoke and
anger you.
Remove yourself from the potentially inflammable situation and take a breather of ten minutes which will allow you to take stock of the situation. These are all preparatory situations which will help you soothe your tensed nerves and prevent you from raising your hand.
Now that you know about these anger management techniques it will be easier for you to control your temper and not commit a mistake like hitting your child.
What are the ill effects of hitting kids? How can parents avoid hitting kids? Which other ways can parents follow to discipline kids than hitting? Discuss here.