It can be hard to teach your child right from wrong. This may seem like an easy job at first but when you have a screaming child throwing a huge tantrum in the middle of the grocery store parents often don’t know what to do or how to handle the situation. A parent can teach by redirecting their child as early as 1 year old. Children learn from adults and positive redirection can teach children right from wrong. As children grow parents can use different techniques to discipline their child.

First parents should remember to stay positive when disciplining their child. Try not to say no, instead use positive phrases to help guide them through the problem and find a solution. For example if you child is throwing a ball in the house, instead of yelling and saying no tell them it can be a bit dangerous to throw a ball in the house because it might hit something and make it fall. Then give them an example of where you could throw a ball like, “We can throw the ball outside together.”
Second, parents should be consistent and not give in even if their crying toddler wants a cookie before dinner. If a parent gives in one time it might confuse the child and cause frustration later. Also, parents should not bribe their child with treats such as cookies or candies; while it may work at first you will find that future bribes will not be so appealing and this will also lead to a frustrated child. It’s okay for a parent to set limit.
Third parents should show their child how its done. As I mentioned before, children learn from their parents. If a child pets the family dog too hard, the parent should model how its done by showing the child “soft or nice touches” and praise them after they have done it correctly. This allows the child to practice right from wrong.
Finally parents should praise and reward positive behavior. Children love when they are rewarded for good behavior and by doing this parents will notice that the negative behavior will slowly disappear. This is because children love their parents attention whether it’s positive or negative; so parents should focus on the positive. Rewarding positive behavior also builds self esteem and confidence in children. Parents can also start a reward chart for older children so they can see their progress and talk to their caregivers or teachers to help reinforce positive behavior at school. Disciplining your child is not easy but with these tips you can move toward a more positive solution.