Consequences and discipline

Understanding the consequences of our actions is an important part of discipline and helps to teach your child responsibility. When you set the house rules with your child, you need to be very clear about the consequences of breaking these rules, and make sure that she really understands that will enforce those consequences should she break the rules.

Consequences:
 

• can be the natural outcome of her behaviour – when your child leaves her toys in the garden and it rains overnight, then some of her toys may be water damaged and no longer usable.
• can be the logical outcome of her behaviour – when your child loses her third school jumper in a year, she has to contribute to the cost of replacing it (again)
• should be short and definable – if she bounces a ball inside the house, she loses the right to play with the ball for a day - if they go on and on, they lose their meaning and their power.
• should always be safe – punishments should never be dangerous
• should be connected to the behaviour where possible – when your child up-ends the dress-up box looking for the gold high-heels, she needs to clean up the mess she created.

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This article was written by Ella Walsh for Kidspot. Sources include Anglicare.