Tag Archives: discipline

Taming the Preschool Beast

Nothing unleashes a preschooler’s inner beast quite like extracting him from a fun environment without advanced warning. When my daughter was 4 years old she had an epic outburst at a children’s museum in Chicago because I failed to give her proper notification of our departure.  In doing so, I robbed her of the gradual transition I knew she needed in order to calmly exit the building. The fit she threw nearly got us thrown out of the museum. Looking back, my preschooler’s tantrum, which included tossing her shoes down a slide, was simply her way of staying true to … Continue reading →

Making Sense Is Underrated

Why yes, please, my dear 2-year-old, go right ahead and play demolition derby with grandma’s glass figurines on that solid marble countertop.  It’s so much better than watching you have an epic meltdown because of my concern for your safety. When was the last time that choice was a viable option for a parent? You know that what you do for your children is for their own good.  Unfortunately, most kids could care less about the rules of parenthood.  In fact, the vast majority of what you do to ensure their well being makes absolutely no sense to them. They … Continue reading →

Timing Is Everything… Or Is It?

Racing against the clock is a futile exercise most parents endure while raising children. If time kicks your butt getting out the door in the morning, consider the consequences if you choose to ignore it when disciplining your kids. To be effective, discipline must immediately follow a child’s transgression… or so claims numerous childhood experts. Easy enough if you are dealing with a toddler whose actions are fairly simple to monitor.  Not so when your kids hit an age when they would rather you not be a constant presence in their lives. Or present at all. Parents of school age … Continue reading →

Somewhere in the Strict Zone

Time outs don’t work with my kid. Sorry, Supernanny. I understand the method behind the discipline technique and follow the directives explicitly; unfortunately, sitting in a chair and allowing my child to simply think about her poor behavior doesn’t yield positive results. So, what’s a parent to do? Ramp up the punishment? I am by no means a permissive parent, but I’m not a super strict one either. I’m somewhere in the strict zone hoping not to tip the scales too far in either direction. However, I am more concerned about entering the overly strict zone. I don’t want to … Continue reading →

My Baby Has Started Hitting

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My little guy is almost 14 months old. In almost all aspects of my life, he is pure joy. I could do without the sleepless nights we are still having, and the screaming, but for the most part, I love him just like he is. Except for one little nasty habit he has started. Hitting. Really? I don’t remember either of my other two doing this at this age. Maybe time heals all wounds and I have just forgotten? But, in all seriousness, I felt kind of sad about it, and have been wondering what to do. After all, he … Continue reading →

Yelling

Yelling is something a parent should never do.  Easy to say.  Not so easy to adhere to in times of stress. I didn’t plan on writing about yelling tonight.  I didn’t plan on yelling tonight.  Who does?  As usual it wasn’t my child’s fault.  While she and her sister were clearly in the wrong and did not listen to instructions, it gives me no reason to lose control.  Yet, I did.  I am ashamed to say that yelling out of frustration is not a once in a blue moon occurrence.  It is the one thing I do that I do that … Continue reading →

Can You Be Too Strict with Teens?

In the past week, I have written quite a bit about being a strict parent. Are You a Strict Parent, What Does Strict Parenting Look Like, and Teens Rule if You Don’t Set Teen Rules are the topics that were covered. The above mentioned articles were targeted at parents who had pretty relaxed rules at home, and were struggling to deal with their kids. On the other end of the spectrum, however, are parents who are too strict with their teens. Too strict discipline comes in two forms: There are parents who are strict with kids pretty much from birth … Continue reading →

What Does Strict Parenting Look Like?

Yesterday I asked, Are You a Strict Parent? Realizing, of course, that “strictness” is highly interpretable. What some people think of as strict parenting, other parents think of it as lax parenting. So what does strict parenting look like? To me strict parenting is… Setting Rules: Rules would include cleaning up behind themselves, taking care of their belongings, asking permission before touching another’s belongings, being kind to others, following household rules for computer, television, and going out. While this may sound a little abstract, one must realize that rules change based on age appropriateness, maturity, and trust worthiness. Where one … Continue reading →