Effective Discipline
Recognize Your Child's Potential and Avoiding Parent/Child Confrontation
Nov 24, 2006
Michael J. Weiss, PhD and Sheldon H. Wagner, PhD are child psychologists who have spent their professional lives working with tough developmental and behavioral problems in children. During their practice, they found that worldwide, parents repeat many of the same errors while raising their children.
Out of this experience, a book was born: Ten Steps to Constructive Discipline – And achieving a Great Relationship with Your Kids.
It is the most comprehensive, easy-to-read, common sense approach to parenting I’ve ever found. Below is a synopsis of Chapter 8: Parent Traps: The seven most common parenting errors – and how to avoid them.
Parenting Trap I:
He’s Just Not Ready - Understanding Your child’s Potential
Parents underestimate their children’s potential. Why? Because we wait for them to tell us when they are ready for the next challenge, yet Weiss and Wagner remind us that children do not push themselves to learn and practice new developmental skills.
When we wait too long to introduce or teach a new skill, we actually rob the children of the pride and feeling of accomplishment coming with independence.
Parent Trap II:
I don’t Want to Fight About It – Avoiding Confrontation
Parents act in ways to avoid confrontation, yet Weiss and Wagner want us to “embrace confrontation as a learning time for our children. Doing so gives us an avenue to address the problematic behavior on our own terms.
Drawing the line ultimately means we must set up small periods of confrontational conflict with kids.” When we do so and expect the unwanted behavior, we are a step ahead and can deal with it effectively.
Next: More from Ten Steps To Effective Discipline
