{"id":366800,"date":"2023-06-19T08:10:12","date_gmt":"2023-06-19T06:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/?p=366800"},"modified":"2023-06-19T12:14:03","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T10:14:03","slug":"daring-to-discipline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jozikids.co.za\/blog\/parenting\/discipline\/daring-to-discipline\/","title":{"rendered":"Daring to Discipline"},"content":{"rendered":"

“I realized that discipline was going to be a complicated and emotionally charged affair”<\/h3>\n
I remember clearly the day I realized my son was capable of being naughty. He could only have been around 9 months old. I remember he was leopard crawling towards a plug point when I told him very firmly to leave the plug alone and pulled him away, only to find him heading straight back to the plug point at double speed with a defiant grin on his face. My darling innocent son was capable of choosing to disobey and I was in disbelief!<\/div>\n
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I remember thinking about what the appropriate response should be. Did he deserve a smack on his hand or bum to leave a lasting impression of the danger of the plug or should I just talk sternly or purely distract him? I realized that discipline was going to be a complicated and emotionally charged affair. Just when I had got the hang of being at my baby\u2019s beck and call and satisfying his every whim, I suddenly had to change tack and treat him sternly. This was perhaps the first acknowledgement that my son was an individual, separate from me.<\/div>\n

Lessons on Discipline: a real life experience!<\/h2>\n
Like almost everything in parenting, it\u2019s so much easier in hindsight and once the second or third child comes along. But when your first little darling starts acting up, it\u2019s natural to feel unsettled and unsure of how to handle it. I thought I would share some lessons I have learned along the way.<\/div>\n
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“It is helpful to take a child\u2019s personality into consideration when disciplining.”<\/h3>\n
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Every child is different. Although there are some principles of discipline which can be broadly applied like being consistent (SO IMPORTANT) and keeping one\u2019s emotions in check, it is helpful to take a child\u2019s personality into consideration when disciplining. My son was extremely sensitive, and any form of smack would devastate him and me for that matter. We both just couldn\u2019t handle the repercussions and I soon learned this was not going to work for us. He responded well to stern words and the naughty corner.<\/p>\n

He didn\u2019t like being separated from the family so he was very obedient in the naughty corner, knowing that if he came out, we would take him back and delay his return. I think if I did this over, I would have called the naughty corner the \u201ccooler\u201d or \u201cchill out zone\u201d or something suitably positive but unfortunately by the time I thought of this, the naughty name had stuck.<\/p>\n

My daughter was tougher, and she got the odd smack with great effect. One occasion was when she absolutely refused to be belted into her car seat. There was no time for a naughty corner and her safety was at stake, so I figured she deserved a smack. It sorted out the problem instantly and she never gave us any trouble with strapping in again.<\/p>\n

Discipline should be age appropriate.<\/h3>\n