How to teach children discipline

Discipline is a good behavior. It is a way of life that leads proper activities to right time and place. Children can learn discipline too. They want to sleep before nine o’clock if they are accustomed to. They keep their toys voluntarily in the toy box after playing if they are trained to do this. Teaching and training discipline need time and patient. There are no instant methods to teach children discipline because parents should make discipline in children as a habit and behavior.

Young children sometime don’t understand why they do this and that. Their parents often get angry with them even slap them when they play with fire. Children just know if they play with fire they will get slap or strike and anger from their parents. Is this a way to teach discipline? No, the children do not learn discipline but they get a strike because they play with fire. How to teach children discipline?

1. Parents must become the encouraging figures.

Children copy what their parents do. It is impossible to teach discipline while their parents do not give models. A father asks his boy to get to sleep at nine o’clock, turn off the light; on the other hand, he is watching TV. The boy refuses the father’s instruction of course. Be a good figure or model of discipline so that our children will follow us.

2. Children need to know why they are not allowed to do this and that.

Parents should explain why children have to go to bed early. Talk to our children in childhood language so that the practice of discipline is understood. Children who understand the benefit of eating vegetables want to eat up all vegetables on the plate of their food hungrily.

3. Parents must give appreciation or reward to a good thing that children have done.

Most parents don’t realize that they give little attention to small achievements that their children have accomplished. Children who are rewarded when they throw a trash in a trashcan do not want to litter on the floor at another time. Rewards strengthen positive indicators in children mind.

4. Let children learn from experience.

Giving too much protection is also not a good idea. Children want to take adventure on their own experience. A boy wants to learn to ride a bike. He falls very often at first but finally he rides his bike. He learns from experience. Even he falls he keeps trying if he wants to able to ride a bike. A young girl sometime follows her mother in the dishwasher. She likes to play with water. Can we as parents stop her while she is playing with water? We are sure she will cry loudly and refuse to stay away from the dishwasher. Let the girl play for a while but watch over her. Playing with water in a dishwasher may cause her T-shirt gets wet. This condition makes her uncomfortable. By experiencing of getting wet the girl feels uncomfortable. The mother should talks to her daughter not to play with water and why she prohibits her girl playing in dishwasher. The girl will understand and not play at another chance.

5. Parents should be consistent.

When children break the rules, want them and don’t give them excuse.

6. Parents are not allowed to give punishment that does not educate their children.

Striking or slapping can be done at the last choice of educating children. ( this is the principle in Islamic religion, children at the age 10 who ignore to pray shalat regularly, parents have authority to strike them. The strike is not for hurting but for educating. This strike is only for principle way of life. When a boy does not put away his toys, his parents are not allowed to strike him. This case is not principle. Parents may keep the toys in a cupboard and don’t let the boy play for a week.

7. Parents forgive and forget what their children have done.

Children who have punishment have the right to get love and attention from their father and mother. Let children do their activities but keep an eye on them without interrupting their fun time.

Reference

Anakku dari ahli yang peduli buah hati, Edisi, September 2005