Tips on how to Discipline a Child - Stepfamily Association of South Australia

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Tips on how to Discipline a Child

# If you have other children never compare them with their brothers or sisters ,that could lead them into low self esteem or make them feel like they have no worth.
# Criticize the behavior, not the child ("What you did was stupid", not "You are so stupid."). If you call a child 'stupid' long enough they will either begin to believe it or begin to resent it.
# For young children, one minute of "time-out" per year of age is a good standard. Longer than that and they feel abandoned, and thus lose trust in you.
# To encourage older children to change behavior, write the problem down, discuss it, and guide the child in developing his or her own correction plan. Make it measurable, and include a punishment for failure (e.g. grounding) and a reward for success (e.g. you will be trusted with this and not bothered about it again unless necessary). Do not make the punishment or reward based on money or possessions.
# Everyone needs multiple chances to learn and everyone needs a fresh start, especially children. Don't escalate for things repeated a week apart by a young child (i.e. pre-pubescent) -- just for those repeated in the same day. Young children don't have the same way of remembering things as older children and adults.

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