Monday, March 29, 2010

"A Positive Way to Discipline"

There's this website I absolutely love and I always go there when I have a question, anything- They have all kinds of helpful articles. Many of you probably already know the "What to Expect" website.
I keep getting newsletters on my email and I love receiving the ones from this website and also from Baby Center (which is my very favorite). Today I got one that is called "A Positive Way to Discipline". The article is great, it's exactly what I believe in and try to do with my toddlers at home.

Here is a little bit from the article...

Turn negatives into positives. Your little darling has emptied the contents of your drawers onto the floor. Now what? Rather than scold, enlist her help in figuring out a way to remedy the situation ("How can we fix this? How about you help me put this stuff back?"). Praise her when she complies and don't forget to give her a firm, anger-free reminder that "Mommy's things need to stay in Mommy's desk.

Check in. Even if you're busy (especially when you're busy) take time to reach over for a hug, a tickle, or to comment on the progress of her block tower. That way, you'll head off her impulse to get your attention by doing something devilish.

Diffuse the situation. If your toddler is showing signs of defiance ("No! I won't take a bath!"), turn the situation around by using distraction ("Let's go find some fun bath toys!"), humor ("What if we put Mr. Teddy in the bath?"), or reverse psychology ("Don't you dare get into that tub!"). It doesn't take much to amuse a toddler. And diffusing a situation with creative approaches like these allows your child to give in without feeling like she lost a battle. Then you can thank her for her cooperation ("I love how you play in the water!").

If you would like to read the entire thing, click here.

2 comments:

Liesl said...

Thanks for sharing that Aline! I needed the reminder :) I try my hardest to discipline like that but of coarse sometimes life just gets too stressed and I loose my temper and end up yelling and making a situation a lot more difficult for me and my kids then it needs to be. It's always good for me to read up on discipline just for the reminder.

Jenny Taylor said...

I love the What to Expect books, and this article was a nice reminder.Lately my 3 year old has become so rebellious. It's NO for everything,and he gets angry,and makes faces, and complains when we tell him to do something. So lately,most of the time I forget to use positive discipline,because I am so frustrated that he won't do anything, this post will hopefully help me!