As a child I was exposed to several types of discipline. My father used more of the harsh punishment while my mother was more on the positive side of punishment. Like most children, I sometimes received a swat from my dad when I disobeyed. He never used any object, just a hand, but I hated it. My mom would discipline me in other ways such as: sending me to my room, "grounding" me for a certain period of time, not letting play with toys or friends, or not letting me watch TV. But which method was more effective? For me, the way my mother handled discipline affected me more than my dad's approach. Taking away privileges made me more upset than getting a swat on the rear. In households where physical punishment is the only form of discipline, serious consequences in children including: depression, aggression, antisocial behavior, poor academics, and other mental health problems can occur. Also, this type of punishment may transfer to the next generation. Harsh punishment may stop the unwanted behavior temporarily but will not put an end to it. The best and most effective way is to take the positive approach. I believe this is the most effective way to reduce opportunities for misbehavior.
-Chelsea Duncan
I feel the same way about discipline. I do not believe in spanking. There are so many more alternatives. I used timeout most of the time with my girls during this stage in their lives. We have a two story house. I made the timeout place the bottom of the stairs. The girls did not want to set on the stairs. They are in the foyer in the front of the house. The familyroom is in the back of the house. They did not want to set on the steps away from everyone else. This worked really well for both girls. When they got older, I would take away priviledges. My oldest daughter had to miss a friend's birthday party because she kept back talking me. To her that was a harsh punishment.
ReplyDeleteSusan Davis