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How To Determine What Is A Rational Discipline Plan For A Child

Sooner or later you will need to decide on what is a rational discipline plan for a child like yours ...

As you go through labor and delivery, become a parent, and look down at your newborn baby, it is hard to imagine there will be a day where your sweet baby - then a child - will frustrate you to the point where you will need to discipline your child.

You will need to decide, sooner or later, what a rational discipline plan is for a child like yours.

Let's take a look at this, then ...

First, Your Goals Of Discipline

A great place to start is to identify why you want to discipline your child. Is it just so they behave in public? Do you want your child to do just what you want them to do? If so, why would they do that - to make you proud and happy, or just because they are afraid of you and don't want to be punished? Think about what you want to achieve through disciplining your child, and that can help you determine what a rational discipline plan is for your child.

A lot of child discipline experts believe that the goal of discipline should be to teach them the things they need in order to grow up to be a responsible adult. Along with that, you probably want to have a good relationship with them. There are a few things to consider as you're determining what a rational discipline plan is for a child in your care.

Do you want your discipline to teach them, as the word “discipline” means at its root? If so, a strictly punitive plan is probably not going to work for you. That would include methods such as spanking or swatting, as experts agree that not only does spanking or swatting not work well for most children, but also it isn't good at teaching the child anything other than “hitting is the way to respond when you're frustrated with someone smaller than yourself.” In order for a child to learn from what a rational discipline plan is that you've chosen for a child, a parent should tie the consequences in to the behavior that needs correcting.

It is also illogical to give large things for small infractions.

Also, find a way to reassure your child that you still love them. They need to know this - whatever is the rational discipline plan that you've chosen for a child in your care - that you love them even if they make mistakes.

Next article: How To Discipline A Defiant Child Using Solutions Other Than Spanking