It’s week six of 8 Weeks To A Well-behaved Child . Last week we learned about discouraging misbehavior by withdrawing attention. In a nutshell, we were supposed to ignore misbehavior. This has always been one of the hardest things for me to do. I suppose I am one of those active interveners, a parent who feels that those little troublesome behaviors can’t be ignored or they will get worse. Of course, it’s just the opposite.
Last week I tried really hard to ignore some of Tyler’s more irritating behavior. I succeeded about a third of the time. What made it hard for me was the fact that I have been battling a cold and sinus infection so I have not felt up to speed and my patience was a bit thin. Then when I went to the doctor on Tuesday my blood pressure was high. So high he didn’t want to let me go. In fact, I had to take some medicine and wait an hour and then after checking it again I had to take some more medicine and wait another hour! Now I have to check my pressure each morning and if it’s over a certain number I have to take three different types of medication. Otherwise, I still have to take two. So I wasn’t happy about that. I’ve taken medication for my blood pressure off and on for the past twenty odd years. I hate starting over because it takes at least a week for my body to adjust. But still I tried my best to ignore him and stay calm as best as I could last week.
Now on to this week. The goal for this week is using effective punishment to discourage problem behaviors. Punishment is any penalty given by a parent to discourage present or future misbehavior. Consistency and firmness are two key factors in effective parenting, according to the author. Several key factors are important if punishment is to effective. They are:
(1) Timing– the more immediate the punishment, the more effective it will be.
(2) Severity– a punishment that is too short is lax and one that is harsh, overly long or inflicts pain or suffering is ineffective and may lead to feelings of hostility and resentment.
(3) Fairness– the punishment should fit the crime.
In part two, I will list other factors to consider when administering punishment, discuss two common punishment techniques and give the assignment for this week.
See also:
8 Weeks to Well-behaved Child, Week 5
8 Weeks to Well-behaved Child, Week 4
8 Weeks To a Well Behaved Child: Week Three
8 Weeks To a Well Behaved Child: Week Two, Part Two
8 Weeks To a Well Behaved Child: Week Two
8 Weeks To a Well Behaved Child: Week One
8 Weeks To a Well Behaved Child