Parents have the toughest job of molding children to become civilized human beings. They make use of different tools, strategies and approaches to child-rearing to encourage good behavior or correct the misbehaviors.
But some parents tend to be confused about punishing vs. disciplining children, especially since every child is different. What's the difference between these two and what works best?
To help parents, experts from the Iowa State University will explore approaches in punishing vs. disciplining children. They will compile and review past researchers done by students and teachers to determine the best strategies to share to moms and dads, as stated in the press release.
The experts begin by sharing that there is no "one size fits all" strategy, according to the Science of Parenting. Parents should first determine a form of discipline based on the three things: the child's age, the child's temperament and personality, and consistency.
Age-appropriate strategies ensure that the child's emotional needs are met while understanding the child's temperament and personality ensures that they will respond to the discipline tactics better.
Consistency, on the other hand, will do away with the confusion of what is acceptable behavior. The child must know what is expected from him and it can only happen if the parent regularly enforces discipline.
Punishing vs. disciplining children can bear different results. One strategy is used to control behavior while the other is used to teach and guide, Positive Parenting noted.
Punishing children can bring about feelings of fear and pain. It might work to lessen the bad behavior but the children won't' exactly understand why they should stop doing bad things.
Discipline, on the other hand, promotes communication between the parent and the child. Think of this strategy as something akin to the relationship between a teacher and a student, where the latter will be able to understand the consequences, accountability and outcomes better.
