These adults deserve a lump of coal.
A new survey from University of Michigan Health CS Mott Children’s Hospital has been found that almost a quarter of parents do the unthinkable to their three- to five-year-old children: they Threat to cancel Santa Claus And giving gifts.
Certainly, Dr. Susan Woolford, co-director of Mott Poll, said, “Discipline helps young children learn what behavior is safe and appropriate,” but she acknowledged that this is not a “naughty” or nice way to do it. Don’t know how to go about it.
“However, empty threats undermine trust and credibility and are usually not effective. Positive reinforcement and consistent discipline are more likely to shape long-term behavior.
Many other parents of children aged one to five in the survey admitted that they can be irritable when dealing with their children or inconsistent in disciplining them. The main reason for this is to prevent public meltdown.
Another quarter of parents admitted that they were very upset with their children, despite their children being unable to understand what was happening.
“It can be difficult to have a consistent approach to discipline without thought and planning — and even then, consistency can be hard, especially when parents are feeling tired, distracted, or overwhelmed,” Woolford said.
“It’s important for parents to plan ahead and be on the same page with discipline strategies to provide a foundation for understanding expectations and to prevent sending mixed signals about boundaries.”
In other cases, half of the parents surveyed bribed their children for good behavior. However, Woolford advised avoiding anything that “may provide short-term compliance but may have negative effects later.”
Instead, she suggested finding something appropriate for the child’s age. Woolford suggested thinking about distraction rather than discipline in the case of one- to two-year-old children. Children at that age rarely misbehave intentionally, but they are exploring their environment for the first time.
However, after age two, he said, children begin to understand the cause and effect of their actions. When children commit an act around the age of three, the punishment should be commensurate with the crime.
Woolford gave the example that a child who spills his drink in anger should be asked to clean it up and everything should be resolved at that moment. Even unrelated punishment, like threatening to take away Christmas, doesn’t work.
“Consequences should be immediate, so that the child can understand the connection to his or her misbehavior.”
Woolford said children often respond differently to different discipline tactics, so parents should remain flexible.
“As children grow, their responses to discipline will also change, so parents should adapt their strategies and be open to new approaches,” she said.
“Balancing corrections with positive reinforcement — like praise and rewards — helps children build self-esteem while learning from their mistakes.”
