Beating or Scolding? Which is the Correct Way to Discipline Your Child?
The act of spanking children for behaving badly is stored up in the subconscious mind of most parents. Therefore, beating, scolding, spanking and its sorts come like a reflex action. It seems to be the fastest and effective tactic to show disapproval over a child’s wrong deed. However, as a parent, these are negative modes of disciplining your child. These methods are effective for a short period and cause long-term damages to a child.
Discipline is all about guiding, instructing, and training a child about the Dos and Don’ts of behaviour. In essence, teaching them to comply with the right code of conduct. However, when kids go against these rules they are being forced to face the consequences of their actions through punishment.
It’s disastrous to beat your child without stating their wrong, It passes the wrong message of cruelty to them. Besides, this creates more tendency of repeating that same wrong. Therefore, in this post, we shall be evaluating other alternatives to beating your child.
What are the Effects Of Beating Your Kids?
1. Beating imbibes Fear in Your Child
Violence towards kids ignites fear in their hearts. They begin to view you as a taskmaster instead of a loving parent. Subsequently, your presence starts terrifying them. These sets of kids wouldn’t love to try anything new or explore with their peers. Due to fear of being spanked by their parents if they do something wrong.
2. Poor Cognitive Abilities
Victims of negative discipline lose touch with their minds and brains. They experience difficulty thinking through logical questions or manage their emotions. The danger is this since such a child no longer reason appropriately they indulge in wrong behaviour innocently and get punished. This circle continues and eventually, the child’s mental health becomes deteriorated.
3. Physical Injury
Mostly, beating a child results in physical injury. Due to uncontrollable anger, parents go the extra mile in ensuring that children sustain injuries to serve as a reminder. However, this is the wrong way to discipline your child. The physical scars might heal, although the internal scars last longer.
Recently, there have been cases whereby in the act of disciplining a child, the object used gets in contact with delicate organs of the body such as the eyes. Resulting in further intense damages. Hence, to avoid regrets, learn to apply the alternative method of disciplining your child.
4. Decreases The Love Bond
All parents desire to be closely connected to their kids and would search out activities that can increase the love bond. However, they fail to realize that beating a child makes their initial desires fruitless. It makes no sense telling your kids how much you love them and the next minute you’re spanking them. In essence, beating detached you from your kids.
5. Low Self-esteem is Often a Result of treating a Child Violently
Beating makes a child think less of themselves, and call themselves failures. They begin to feel it’s because they aren’t good enough that they get punished frequently. Gradually they become antisocial. These kids are prone to negative self-talk and suicidal thoughts since their self-esteem is damaged.
6. Violence/Anger
The more you spank a child, you’re indirectly telling that child that beating is the standard way of showing disapproval when someone does something wrong. Therefore, when offended by their peers, immediately they retaliate by displaying aggressive behaviours.
This is The Correct Way to Discipline Your Child
1. Give Your Child Proper Training
Don’t expect your kids to do the right thing when you haven’t told them what’s expected of them. As a parent don’t allow your kids to guess their way through. Create time to teach them the Dos and Don’ts of behaviour. They deserve to know! Failure to do this makes your child feel hated when beaten for what they had little or no knowledge about. Furthermore, ensure they are cognizant of the needful skills that help in regulating their behaviours such as effective communication skills and tolerance etiquette.
2. Teach Your Child About Consequences, Instead of Beating
In addition to knowing the right way to behave, your kids still deserve to learn about the consequences of negative and positive behavioural patterns. Let them know what punishments are attached to being disobedient. Likewise, the rewards for being obedient. This will guide them in doing the right thing and save you the stress of beating your child whenever they go wrong.
3. Withdraw Privilege When Your Kids Go Wrong
This method is based on the privilege enjoyed by your kids. Therefore, when disciplining your child, don’t hesitate to withdraw certain privileges enjoyed by your kids when they go astray. This method teaches them that what they had done was wrong.
For instance, if they are caught fighting, instead of beating them, insist they stay away from TV, video games, or outing with friends for a period of time. Oftentimes, you need to take back their pocket money for grown-up kids for some time. In addition, add up to their normal home chores as a way of showing disapproval over their manner. However, don’t go extreme with this method.
4. Reward Good Behavior to Encourage Positive Manners
Kids are motivated to do their best next time when they are being rewarded for behaving right. Rewarding them with gifts gives them a reason to continue on that same behavioural path that earns them those rewards. And shy away from negative behaviours. Let them know which of their behaviours was commended. In addition, you can make disciplining your child a fun activity to do by keeping score sheets and giving stars. Whereby, showcasing a well-mannered behaviour earns them stars and points.
5. Talking Often Resolve the Issues Between You and Your Child Compared to scolding
To succeed at disciplining your kids there will be a time when you need to sit with them and talk. Talk about why he or she misbehaved, while they talk, listen attentively. Whenever kids give genuine reasons for their actions or show remorse, as a parent your anger gets to subside. Besides, No one is above mistakes, therefore, even with the rules and consequences they can still go astray. Hence, when they make mistakes, sit them down and tell them how disappointed you’re about their behaviours. Likewise, how you expected more from them. Applying this alternative shows them how much you love them.
6. Reasoning Techniques is an Advantageous Punishment for Kids
You can discipline your child and at the same time improve their intelligence IQ through reasoning techniques. Instead of beating your kids for doing the wrong thing, give them reasoning punishment.
For instance, when your kids go wrong, ask them to write a letter stating what they did, why they did it, and a letter of apology with a specific word count. Two copies for you and two copies for themselves. It’s wise to request that they rewrite if the letters are poorly written.
7. Be A Role Model
Kids are uniquely designed to watch and learn from their parents. Therefore, almost every behaviour they exhibit is copied from what they see their parents doing. This is another indicator to help you in disciplining your child. First, ensure that those things you beat your kids for are not evident in your life. Perhaps, you behave like that unconsciously. Make amends! Be a good role model for your child to emulate.
Conclusion
Parenting isn’t an easy route to trail on. In essence, patience is a vital ingredient in parenting. This helps you not to go extreme when disciplining your child. However, If as a parent you still struggle to manage your emotions such as anger it would be difficult not to retaliate when your kid’s misbehaviour. Therefore, work on that temperament. Keep them under control.
Finally, ensure to share your views in the comment section.
