Meetika Sharma - Vice Principal Primary Section
Discipline is one of the biggest problems that every parent faces. Each one of us has wondered sometime or the other: “Was I too harsh on my kids? or “Am I being too easy?” “Did I do right thing when I shouted at them?”
Learning to discipline children is hard work. Parents often confuse discipline with punishment. Majority think that discipline is punishing the children for wrong behaviour or wrong doing. But before we start to discipline them, let us understand the meaning of discipline and how it differs from punishment.
WHAT IS DISCIPLINE????
Discipline is......
· Helping a child to get along with family and friends.
· Teaching a child to behave in an agreeable way.
· Allowing a child to learn from the mistakes made and enabling the child to experience the consequences of the decisions made.
WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF DISCIPLINE???
These can be.........
·To help the child feel capable.
·To help the child learn acceptable rules of behaviour.
·To help the child learn to respect the rights of others.
·To help the child learn coping skills to use throughout life.
In a nutshell we can say that effective discipline is HELPING, TEACHING and LEARNING.
DISCIPLINE IS NOT PUNISHMENT !!!
Majority of parents think that discipline and punishment are the same. Some think discipline is getting a child to behave and teaching obedience. Some think it is something that you do when kids are naughty.
Let us understand the difference between discipline and punishment.
Whereas punishment focuses on the child, discipline targets the act.When we punish the child,we are saying-“You are loved or not loved because of the things you do.” Punishment teaches the child to be “good” as long as we are looking, but as soon as we turn our heads-WATCH OUT!!!!
Discipline conveys to the child-“You are OK even when your behaviour is NOT OK!” Love the child but reject the behaviour; that is what discipline teaches.The purpose of discipline is to raise responsible, confident children who grow up to be persons who think for themselves, care about others and who live satisfying and useful lives.
