punished.jpgIf you have a small child at home, you would know how difficult it is to discipline them and if you don’t do it now then later you will face tougher times.

Consistency is key to successfully teaching your child right from wrong when disciplining them. This keeps small misdeeds and bad behaviors from later becoming bigger misdeeds and worse behaviors. The parent need to stand firm and mean it when they say, “Turn off the television now” or “no dessert after dinner because you didn’t touch your dinner.” This will teach the child that there are consequences for misdeeds and inappropriate or unacceptable actions or behaviors. When you are not consistent yourself then it is only you who will be responsible for your children’s misbehavior and doesn’t teach them how to be responsible for their actions.

Both the partner should be consistent with the discipline. If one is too lenient and the other strict the child will not be disciplined as they will be able to manipulate the other lenient partner and turn the situation to their advantage. This becomes when the partners are separated or divorced. Though you may not be together anymore, it’s imperative that you parent on common ground.

Honestly discuss these parameters with your former spouse and your child in advance, so that if discipline is needed, the consequences of such misbehavior are well understood in advance. Any disagreements between parents should be discussed out of the child’s earshot.

Consistency is about being strong and standing firm, even when doing so is extremely difficult or exhausting. It can sometimes be hard to come home after a hard day at work only to find a hard night of parenting in front of you. Your child will consistently test the boundaries with you to see if there’s any play in those consequences. By standing firm you are showing there is not and that you expect them to do nothing less than take responsibility for their actions.