It is important for parents to know that enforcing discipline on their children is necessary if they would like them to grow in physical and mental health.
Parents can either devise their own strategies or choose from the list that experts suggest in order to enforce discipline and help their children learn and grow to be responsible adults.
According to Amy Morin, a discipline expert, there are some life skills that should be developed in children for them to become a healthy adult. They are as follows:
First, children should learn to manage or put under control their anxieties. Contrary to what most people think, children do not actually want to be in charge. They often test limits as way of assuring themselves of their safety. Adults are supposed to offer children positive and negative consequences, for them to learn what situations will endanger them.
Children of permissive parents oftentimes feel anxious because they are aware that they need their parent's guidance in order to come up with sound choices. When they're left to do things on their own they actually tend to become unsure of themselves.
Second, Healthy discipline that is age appropriate will definitely teach children how to make good choices. In order for them to recognize the possible consequences of their action, they need to be taught the necessary problem solving skills to rise above the difficult situations in life. However, it very important that parents teach them to distinguish between consequences and punishment.
Healthy discipline actually provides kids with an opportunity to think about their behaviors and to recognize alternative solutions to problems.
Third, discipline is meant to teach children how they can control their emotions. Each and every day, children faces situations where they can practice dealing with their feelings in a postive manner. Be it a time out, when they fight each other, so that it is instilled in them that the best way to deal with anger is never to be confrontational when the emotions are high. It definitely will not resolve anything.
On the part of the parents, they can ignore bad behavior instead of resorting to berating their children when caught in this particular situation. That way, they model to their children the appropriate behavior as well.
Lastly, it should be kept in mind that the goal of all this disciplining is to keep children safe, away from the dangers of careless actions that may bring a lifetime of dire repercussions.
