5 Gentle Ways To Discipline Your Kid

If you’re one of the growing number of parents questioning the effectiveness of popular discipline methods today, here are five alternatives to timeout that improve connection as well as behavior:

Many parents discipline their kids because they don’t have realistic expectations of child behavior. A toddler is as capable of stopping a tantrum as they are of driving a car. Their immature brain connectivity means that they don't have the awareness to calm down the same way adults can. A young child struggling with the transition of welcoming a new baby into the house isn’t being deliberately naughty; they are struggling with big feelings of grief and simply don’t have the verbal ability to put these feelings into words, so they are translated in their behavior. Kids aren’t mini adults. They can’t and don’t act like us. Lower the bar when it comes to your expectations of them, and understand that they don't have full control over their brains.

Most poor behavior is caused by the child feeling a lack of connection with their parents1. A kid that is feeling unloved needs to be shown that he or she matters. You need to build up their self-esteem to make them feel better, but often sending them to timeout does the opposite. Time-in means being calm and sharing your calm with your kid. That doesn't mean you should be giving undue praise, of course. Say something like, "I don’t like what you did, but I love you, and I’m here to help you to calm down." Time-in means waiting for the storm to pass while keeping your child and others safe and then talking and/or hugging it out.

The old saying, "Do as I say, not as I do" couldn’t be more wrong. Out of all the influences on your kid’s behavior, it's helpful to remember that you are by far the biggest one. If your kid yells too much, ask yourself where they may have picked it up. Chances are you need to control your own yelling. The best discipline of all is to be the person you want your children to be. If you want to raise calm, kind, and loving individuals, you must model these qualities yourself. If your kid is being particularly difficult, ask yourself if you need to take some time to get your own behavior under control first.

When kids are angry or upset you need to give them time to calm down first, as nobody—regardless of age—listens when they’re in fight-or-flight mode. Once they’re calm, resist the temptation to give them a lecture. Instead use more creative ways2 that speak to children better. Sit down and compose a story together in which the main character is struggling with big emotions. Role play, acting out how they could have behaved and what they can do next time, or get them to draw or paint their emotions on paper.

Here's how to raise kids with good manners and arguably the best parenting strategy to stop bad behavior.