Self Esteem Enhancing Discipline
I hear all of the time, I know I’m not supposed to spank….but what am I SUPPOSED to do???
Discipline is probably one of the most difficult things for families to identify, discipline techniques that will enhance self esteem, discipline that children can learn from…not just be punished be. This is sooo important!! Child need boundaries, they need to know exactly where their boundaries lie and with most children, just saying it won’t matter. They need that consequence to truly understand and learn from their mistakes and learn to respect boundaries.
So what are some discipline ideas that are self esteem enhancing???
My favorite to use are natural consequences. This is a Love and Logic idea and they work great! To put it in simple terms, if you refuse to wear a coat and go outside when it’s cold, you’ll be cold. The natural consequence is being cold. You don’t need to do anything else. They have learned that lesson from just going outside without a coat. The problem with these is they can be hard for some parents/caregivers to think of in the moment. Thats ok!! :) You have two options then, either don’t use this method or if you have children that are a little older, brainstorm for a little bit (5-30 min) and then see if you can identify one. If not, this isn’t the one to use in that moment. When I work with families to start, this is one of the first things we discuss so the parents/caregivers can identify a few they can start using.
My second favorite consequence that is healthy to use is loss of screen time!! This one is wonderful because they are forced to do something healthier, like play outside, if they can’t have screens. Screen time includes TV, cell phones, computers, video games, and tablets, anything that has a screen. If you are struggling to get creative, you could break these out and they can lose one at a time, however, it’s best if you simply do screen time as a whole.
Last but not least, earning chores. Chores are a great idea that children can earn. The great thing about them is you can use them as a “make it right” and have them do a chore for the person whose boundary was crossed. If they hit their sister, they can do one of their sister’s chores.
