If you're a parent, you won't need to tell how daunting a prospect the job of raising children really is. The truth is, no one ever finds it easy, so if you are finding it tough, give yourself a break. The good news is that there are parenting methods that can make things smoother - like positive discipline - which is what we focus on in this article.
How Can Parenting Affect Children's Development?
To your child, you are God. You represent their whole world, so how you interact with them daily has huge implications for their personal development. While certain traits are innate, their environment plays a large part in shaping who they are, so the parenting style you use matters.
How Does Positive Discipline Work?
So, back to the topic at hand - positive discipline. It's a term that refers to an approach whereby parents communicate clearly to their children with regard to appropriate and inappropriate behaviour. It's a relatively new concept created by Dr Jane Nelsen, a well-known child counsellor and published author.
Despite sounding like it's a more severe form of parenting, it isn't. It falls into the authoritative parenting category, and it's a technique that involves problem-solving and encouragement. What it doesn't include is severe punishment like shouting or spanking.
It also has similarities to positive parenting, offering a range of benefits that include:
- It encourages children to learn about their own capabilities & how to act constructively
- It's a firm yet kind approach that doesn't involve upsetting your child
- It's a technique proven to work over the long-term
- It teaches valuable life skills that all adults need
- It gives children a feeling of belonging
An Example of Positive Discipline In Action
As a short online course on parenting shows us, when talking about younger children, it's essential to change your perception of what punishment actually means. Sure, it can feel like the most natural thing in the world to simply yell or threaten your child with punishment when they misbehave, but rather than focus on the negative, things need a positive slant…
Imagine a situation when little Timmy or Emma has a temper tantrum and is rude or unpleasant to a sibling or friend, and despite knowing it's wrong, they continue to defy your wishes. Instead of commanding that they stop in louder and louder volumes, try a time-out with a difference.
Again, we're not talking about standing them in a corner. Take them to a pre-prepared area without speaking to calm down. This area should be comfortable and maybe have some books for them to read. This will allow their anger and frustration to diminish.
Once the temper has gone, you can then talk to them clearly and calmly about the problem. This does two things; 1) it illustrates that bad behaviour is not rewarded with attention, and 2) that arguing with Mummy or Daddy is pointless, as they won't engage until they're calm.
You see, you’ve dealt with the problem in a considerate and effective way, without having to reduce yourself to arguing with your child. Boundaries are set, and the more you practice the technique, the more your child will understand what happens when they misbehave. It might not stop the bad behaviour entirely, but it's likely to significantly reduce it.
Become A Better Parent With OCA Online Education
As we can see, positive discipline can be much more effective than traditional parenting styles, and this is just one approach of many that can be explored. If you're looking to improve your parenting or work on your skills as a childcare professional, teacher or teacher's aide, video-based, CPD-accredited online education from OCA is the most convenient, affordable and engaging.
The next-level learning that we offer makes the job of gaining new skills an enjoyable one - something you can see better by watching our Student Study Demo. Just like all of our courses, our Parenting Relationships Course comes with 1 to 1 mentor support and can be paid for in manageable instalments, making what we offer even more accessible to ambitious Australians.
To find out more about us or to browse through the 20+ industries we provide courses for, visit us today at www.onlinecoursesaustralia.edu.au. Alternatively, to speak to us about anything else, call 1300 611 404 or send us an email to [email protected], and we’ll get back to you as soon we receive your message.
