Few things can shake your parental confidence more than trying to get your kids to listen and behave. Whether you’re losing it because no one will clean up the Play-Doh all over the dining room table or trying (in vain) to get the gang in the car, it can make you wonder how things went so very, very wrong. We spoke to the experts to get the answers. Here are 18 discipline mistakes that even smart parents make — and the easy changes you can make to fix them.
Not Following Through
If you tell your child he's not allowed to watch TV if he doesn't clean up his room, but then you cave in and let him do it anyway, you&#
Forgetting Your Child's Developmental Age
Before you discipline your child, consider her age. When your baby spills her food, for example, you don't expect her to clean it up.
Playing Good Cop/Bad Cop
Maybe we've all watched too much Law and Order, but that whole good cop/bad cop routine really does come in handy.
Barking Orders
"Get your coat!" "Brush your teeth!" "Clean your room!" Bossing your child around isn't the best way to get him to behave.
Always Counting to Three
There's a reason counting to three is such a universally popular parenting tactic.
Overusing Time Outs
Time-outs are part of almost every parent's armory of disciplinary tactics, but the
Avoiding the Specifics
When parents take issue with a child's behaviour, for example saying something like, "Stop being rude," they think they have communicated what they want
Leaving Out the Learning Lesson
"It's easy for parents to say 'Don't do that!' 'Stop that!' or 'That's wrong!' but these commands only stop the acti
Forgetting the Love
Regardless of how angry you are, don't forget the L word.
Using Bribery
Ah, the old "I'll buy you an ice cream/new toy if you behave" trick; while it might work in the short-term, such techniques aren't very effective for the lon
Dredging Up the Past
Don't assume that just because your child pulled the dog's tail the last time you were at the neighbour's house that he'll do it again.
Making It Too Personal
Telling your child something like, "You're a bad boy!" rather than focusing on the behavior you disagree with sends the wrong message.
Not Practicing What You Preach
Call us hypocrites, but plenty of parents have screamed across the house to tell their kids to stop screaming.
Refereeing Fights You Haven't Witnessed
Picture this.
Not Getting to the Root of the Problem
Your daughter refuses to put on her shoes.
Knee Jerk Reactions
It's a common scenario.
Throwing Your Own Tantrums
So many times when a child throws a tantrum, it's the parent who gets stuck screaming and throwing a tantrum of her own.
The "Everything But the Kitchen Sink" Approach
"Sit down, stop fighting, apologise to your brother, clean up this mess, and go to your room!" Sound familiar?