Ways to Teach Your Child Respect and Discipline in 5 Minutes or Less

  

8 Ways to Teach Your Child Respect and Discipline in 5 Minutes or Less

Learning the difference between right and wrong and how to navigate your way through the world takes time, patience, and discipline. This can be especially hard when you have little ones who are still learning how to control their impulses and follow instructions. Some children come into this world with more self-control than others, but even the best parents can find themselves struggling with teaching respect and discipline. Luckily, these 8 effective ways to teach your child respect and discipline in 5 minutes or less can help you get started right away. These tips are simple and easy to follow, so don’t wait! Start today!

1) Warn Them Before You Start

Before you start anything, warn your child that disrespect won’t be tolerated. Make it clear they will face consequences if they don’t respect your wishes. After all, you want them to know what to expect. If you don’t say anything before you begin a discipline lesson, you might accidentally model inconsistency by punishing your child for misbehaving without making it clear that disrespect isn’t acceptable beforehand. If a warning isn’t enough, let them know when their discipline lessons will begin so they can mentally prepare for what comes next. This also gives you time to gather resources and materials if needed, helping ensure each of your lessons runs smoothly every time.

2) Explain the Reason Why

The biggest mistake parents make when trying to teach their children manners is not setting limits. Instead, they buy their kids toys and rewards so that they’ll be on their best behavior. Kids are smart, though. They’ll learn quickly that it’s easier to ask for something than to say please. When your child doesn’t receive a reward after saying thank you, he stops saying it. Teaching your child proper manners takes only a few minutes a day but can have lasting effects throughout his life. As a parent, your job is to show respect first by using kind words, body language and actions toward others—including your child.

3) Try Not to Get Angry

Yelling at your kids only makes them feel bad about themselves. It does nothing to encourage better behavior, which is why you need a different approach: Instead of yelling when your child acts out, try ignoring them by walking away. As an alternative, offer some positive reinforcement for good behavior. For example, if your child gets something from their room without being asked, give them a kiss on top of their head as a reward. In time, you’ll see that positive reinforcement encourages more positive behaviors—and it won’t even take five minutes. In fact, you can make progress in just 30 seconds per day!

4) Explain How They Can Do Better Next Time

The most important lesson your child can learn from getting into trouble is that they’re capable of doing better next time. When you're disciplining your kid, you're building their self-esteem. Take a minute after scolding them to say something like, You really did make me mad, but I know you can do better next time. This will help them learn how to avoid making those mistakes in future situations. And don't just tell them you believe they can do better—help them identify what made them misbehave so they understand how to avoid it next time.

5) Praise Them When They Do Good

Positive reinforcement is one of many effective ways to teach a child respect. We want our children to know when they’ve done something right, so give praise when they act appropriately, such as sitting quietly at dinner. Make sure your praise is genuine and specific—not just empty words that are easy for kids to see through. Even a simple I like how you listened shows your child that their behavior matters to you.

6) Learn From The Experience

One of the best ways to teach your child respect is by treating them like a human being. While you might be able to get away with punishment if you’re in a parental role, it’s important that your child understands that you can understand their perspective. For example, when you ask them not go out past a certain time, try asking what times they think are okay instead of just telling them directly. It might be a few weeks until they figure out what you mean—but once they do, they’ll learn that respecting other people means respecting yourself as well.

7) If They Won’t Listen Then Walk Away

Don’t feel guilty about walking away from a situation. Don’t even feel embarrassed about it—you are not a babysitter, and you do not need to waste your time trying to correct behaviors that are beyond your control. Move on, but don’t move them along until they get it. They will—they just need time for that mental light bulb to go off inside their head. Time is on your side here; if they don’t learn something today, they will eventually... when they reach an age where their brain is developmentally ready for it!

8) Help Them Focus on Something Else

Parents can teach their children respect and discipline at any age by helping them focus on something else. There are times when you will need to tell your child what they did wrong, but you don’t have to get into an argument about it right then. Many times, if you give them something else to focus on they will be more receptive to your message. One time my son had lost his shoe while playing outside with some friends; he came running in crying that he lost his shoe. Instead of getting angry at him for not putting it away, I simply asked where he left it so I could help him find it. He calmed down almost immediately when I helped him look for it.