How to Discipline Your Children Without Screaming

How to Discipline Your Children Without Screaming

9th Dec 2015

How to Discipline Your Children Without ScreamingDiscipline is an important but tough part of raising children. We often have to say the same things over and over and put out fires that we think should never have been ignited. Losing your cool from time to time with your children is almost bound to happen. It’s natural for us to raise our voices out of frustration to get our point across, but this can be exhausting. Bringing your octave down one to two levels is great for your sanity and for your child. Yelling too often can even cause children to tune you out and it doesn’t do a great job of teaching them how to behave either. We’ve outlined a few alternatives to screaming your head off to help you discipline your child.

Start by laying down the rules

Make sure your little one truly knows right from wrong in your house by establishing rules early on. Toddlers may have to know that bath time comes before bed and older children may have to know to clean up after themselves. Explain to your children why certain behavior is not allowed ahead of time. Writing a list of rules that is displayed for your children to see can serve as a reminder of what is accepted and what is not. This way when your child breaks the rules, they know why they’re being held accountable.

Make sure your child understands the consequences

In addition to laying out the rules, make sure your child is well aware of the consequences for poor behavior. Explain that breaking certain rules and behaving poorly results in taken away privileges or whichever disciplinary tactic you prefer. This way your child starts to connect consequences directly to their own misbehavior. There is no need to yell when your child knows what exactly is going to happen.

Start with warnings

Before your pop a blood vessel with psychotic fits of rage, give your child a gentle warning. Take a deep breath and remind them of the rules. Assure them that they will be disciplined if this poor behavior happens again. Don’t give too many chances or the consequences will lose their strength. By warning your child before reacting hastily, you give them a chance to observe their poor actions and rectify them. You also give yourself a chance to cool down.

Always encourage good behavior

This one may seem like a no-brainer, but positive reinforcement can slip under the radar when it comes to the discipline. Motivating your little one to want to behave with praise and periodic incentives encourages good behavior to continue. Be careful not to bribe your child, but instead show them that good behavior is appreciated. You can start small with something like a reward sticker chart or a simple “thank you.”

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Written by Alicia Overby - Founder & President of Baby Elephant Ears

Alicia is wife, mother, and creator of Baby Elephant Ears. Baby Elephant Ears was created out of parental concern, not financial desire. In 2005, when their second child was an infant, he cried all the time and just couldn't seem to get comfortable.

After seeking advice and suggestion from the medical community and alternative medicine, they eventually ended up in the chiropractors office where their baby was successfully treated for asubluxation, discomfort most likely the result of the strain during labor, which was now being exacerbated by the normal lack of infant neck strength. Only proper neck, head, and back alignment would offer him relief. When they couldn't find a product to give their baby the necessary support, Alicia took matters into her own hands and crafted her own infant support pillow. The first Baby Elephant Ears was born!

For more information, visit www.babyelephantears.com.

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