Punishing children in constructive ways can help to prevent bad behaviour in them. Read on to learn about some positive ways for punishing children for bad behaviour.It is hard to discipline children, especially because any sort of rude or harsh measures tend to scar them emotionally. A lot has been said about disciplining the children without
punishment, but physical punishment is not the only method. Sometimes parents need to punish their children, in order to teach them how to behave. Non- punishment methods just do not work sometimes. You have to find ways to punish children for
bad behaviour, making sure that the punishment is not damaging anything.
In the following article we will talk about some ways to punish your child for bad behaviour, without resorting to
physical punishment.
1. Deny Them What They Want
An easy way to punish your child for bad behaviour is to not give them their favourite things. So if your child has been naughty, you punish them by not buying them ice cream or their favourite toys. Every time they behave badly, deny them. Be consistent do not ever give in to their sad pleas and crying. You have to be strong if you want to
discipline your child. This way of punishment is really effective because the children realise that bad behaviour will lead them to lose out on things.
2. Ground Them
Grounding children for bad behaviour is a widely practiced method in the west. Children love to go play outside and even your teenager or almost adult child loves to go out. However, if they have been bad, you can ground them for a period of time, depending on how bad their behaviour was. Grounding means your child cannot leave the house for the said period of time. They will have to stay at home, except for going to school. Restrict co-curricular activities as well.
3. Withhold Television and Gadgets
These are two things children seem to be incapable of living with. So if your child has been naughty take away all their play stations and games and do not let them watch TV. Unless they improve their behaviour do not revoke the punishment. You will see, they will automatically improve their behaviour to get back television and gadgets. This punishment has proven to be extremely effective with children of all ages. If your teenage child misbehaves take away the computer, laptop and phone privileges from them.
4. Make them Understand their Mistake
Do not be rude or hurtful to your child when you talk to them and make them understand their mistake. Talking to children about what is right and what is wrong can be effective on disciplining them. But make sure to say nothing that can hurt your child like, “I do not love you” or “I wish you were never born” etc.
Never scold them in front of their friends or relatives, their mistakes should not be made a public affair. If they do something that is wrong, just use simple words to help them realize their mistake. Make them listen to you. However be cautious, some parents lose their temper at this point and resort to physical punishment, never, never, do that.
5. Ask Them to Do Chores
If your child has been behaving badly, a good way to punish them is to make them do household chores. So if they have been naughty, ask them to dust the furniture or wipe the floors or go to the market and buy things. This is a non-violent yet productive way of punishing children for bad behaviour.
Physical punishment such as slapping,
spanking, paddling, using a belt, etc. should at all times be avoided, no matter how small or grown up your child is. Physical punishment solves nothing and only leaves your child with a mental scar that can affect their lives.
Why is it necessary to punish children in constructive ways? Which are the most effective ways to punish children? What should parents avoid while punishing children? Discuss here.
