The Do's and Don'ts of Disciplining Your Child
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
Published on in Health Tip of the Week
It’s part of our job as parents to teach our children to act and talk in appropriate ways and to steer them away from bad behavior. But what’s the best way to do that so our children learn, over time, to behave responsibly, in ways that show respect and care for others?
Jason Lewis, PhD, a psychologist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), and Ariana Zahn, MA, a psychology extern, offer guidance on effective discipline strategies — and warnings about approaches that can be damaging.
“Your goal in parenting is to strengthen the positive aspects of both your child’s behavior and the parent-child relationship,” says Dr. Lewis. “You want to increase ‘good’ behaviors and decrease ‘bad’ behaviors. Research shows that physical discipline, or corporal punishment, is not an effective strategy and has other long-term negative outcomes.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently updated its policy discouraging physical discipline, including spanking, and the use of demeaning, threatening or shaming language with children, citing these negative outcomes:
So what does work to encourage good behavior? Zahn and Dr. Lewis list the key elements of a positive approach to discipline:
Contributed by: Jason Lewis, PhD, and Ariana Zahn, MA
Categories: Health Tip of the Week