Irrespective of the mischief committed by your child, do bear in mind that punishment is not an answer for all such problems. There is difference between disciplining the child and punishing him, and more often than not, parents seem to use the former to attain the latter. Punishing, hitting or yelling can mark developmental problems in the child.

Read on to what should you do and what you should not when trying to discipline the child.

Punishment at times seems important
There are times when you would feel exasperated over your child’s behavior and punishing seems to be the only option. Perhaps you are correct but then how should you go about it?

But, punishment does not mean spanking the child
Though we may prefer to believe so, but you can punish the child even without getting physical with him. There are other ways by which you can attain the goal.

Make stringent rules
Make sure that you make stringent rules and let your child know about them. You should also communicate with him the accepted form of behavior when it comes to such rules.

Make ideal role models for your child
Children pick up what they see, in case they do not see you confirming to rules that you have set for them, it is unlikely that they are going to follow them. Therefore, it is very important that you settle on your behavioral pattern first; correct them if required and then go on to question the kids on their own behavior.

Make consistent rules
It is important that the child knows that these rules are meant to be followed. In case they happen to beat them and get away even for a couple of days, be assured that there are never going to follow the given rules.

Make the rules realistic
Do not make rules just for the sake of making them. Make sure you incorporate the child’s interest as the utmost priority when making such rules.

Ensure the child knows the consequence of not following the rules
Make sure that you have communicated well the consequence of not following the rules. At times punishment does becomes important but there too one should avoid physical punishments.

It is important to make your child aware of the dos and don’ts before punishing them
Make sure you follow this rule to the hilt. Do not punish the child if you have not made him understand the perils of doing certain things.

Rewarding Good Behavior
Punishments may seem important but rewarding good behavior is actually more important than that. When you go on to reward good behavior from your child, punishment becomes redundant. Herein you should also remember that you do give the reward to your child that you had promised him for doing so. Do not promise things that you may fail to comply with.

Why shouldn’t you hit your child for the sake of punishment?

• The reasons are aplenty; one, because you are the role model and any kind of behavioral patterns that is depicted by you is taken to be accepted form of behavior. Make sure you become a good role model first before you go in to expect the same from your child
• Inflicting physical punishment eats into one’s self esteem, and leaves bad memories behind that may go on to result in developmental issues later on.
• Hitting the child frequently will tell him that he is bad and in the process will do more harm to him than any good.
• It leads to bad memories and May in fact, bitter the relationship between the child and the parent. Such memories are inerasable resulting in severe developmental and behavioral issues later on.

All said and done, it is important that you discipline your child but any kind of physical punishment for the sake of it, is not deemed good. This may seem to be the easiest way of getting our work done but may eat into the confidence and self-esteem of your child. Make sure you communicate with your child well, and put up a good picture of yourself in front of him; the results would follow suit.