All parents wish their child would behave kindly and follow them at all times. This is not wishful thinking but it is also not an easy thing to do. Raising kids to be obedient and disciplined surely isn’t an easy task. With their nature to be curious of many things around them and with the influence of their peers and playmates our kids nowadays have become stubborn, spoiled and hard headed.
For a parent to instill discipline in young ones and develop in them a sense of responsibility and accountability for their actions they must be firm in standing their ground to enforce authority and order among unruly toddlers. Here are some ways on how you can discipline your young ones and raise an obedient child.
Practice Consistency
When children are told of things that they should not do and they see that their parents or elders are practicing the same thing they preach then children will tend to follow the good example that are set by their parents and elders. When introducing rules and regulations to your child make sure that these rules are instilled in them consistently and should not only be made or implemented occasionally or when a parent feels like it.
Distract them from Harmful Objects
Instead of shouting at your toddler when he or she grabs a precious vase in the living room, calmly say “no” and provide the reason why they shouldn’t touch it. Scolding them without telling them why they can’t be near a particular object will only arouse their curiosity and will tempt them to disobey you. Remove the object and keep it out of reach of your children then provide them something to play with instead. Avoid spanking or hitting your child if in case they break something in accident. Physical punishment does not reinforce discipline in a child. They will only associate anger with physical punishment and might get the idea that it is acceptable to hit someone when they are angry.
Give them Timeout
When a toddler becomes unruly and is throwing tantrums at you, talk to them and explain why the behavior is not acceptable then provide a timeout for them to pacify their anger and calm down. Take them to the other room for a minute or two and call them back in after they have already calmed down.
Remove Temptations
Since children are curious by nature they will go on to explore and discover many things around them and most often than not they can get themselves into various dangers along the way. Keep hazardous things like vases and other breakable items out of reach. Household cleaning items should be placed in locked cabinets and knives and other kitchen tools should be placed out dof their reach.
When your child throws a tantrum you should remain firm and consistent in not giving in to their desires to let them know that throwing tantrums is not the way to get what they want. They may cry endlessly, let them be. But be sure to keep them within sight to prevent harm and keep them from danger. Practice time out to pacify their frustrations then follow up by praising them for taking control of their anger and frustrations then talk to them explaining the situation.
