Quirky Discipline Rules That Work

Crossing your fingers and hoping that your child will remain a perfect little angel for her entire life isn't likely to work in the real world. That said, at some point you will need to come up with a discipline strategy that involves setting rules and mapping out consequences to correct your child's misbehavior. If the traditional rules aren't cutting it, consider trying a quirky type of discipline that will actually work.

  1. Household Helper

    • You're on your second hour of spring cleaning and your 5-year-old continues to ask you for a cup of water, a snack, a DVD from the tall shelf and help dressing her favorite doll, even though dad is just mere feet away. Instead of telling her to get out of the kitchen and stop stepping on your newly washed -- and still wet -- floor, make a rule that interrupting your household tasks will turn them into her chores. While you need to consider your child's age when you assign chores -- never allow your child to use cleaners or work in a germ-covered area such as a toilet or the cat's litter box -- you can make it a rule that interrupting your housework will automatically result in her pitching in and working along side of you. She will either get the message that interrupting isn't acceptable, or will enjoy spending extra time with mom. As a bonus, she will learn some responsibility while lessening your workload.

    Natural Consequences

    • According to the pediatric professionals at the KidsHealth website, kids in the later years of grade school and up can respond well to the use of natural consequences. Instead of coming up with your own consequences -- such as losing TV for refusing to study -- allow nature to take its course. If your fifth grader doesn't study for his Spanish test, don't reprimand him right away. Wait until he takes his exam and allow the failing grade to stand as his punishment. Chances are that your child will learn a lesson and change his behaviors. While it might seem like a harsh lesson to learn, sometimes kids have to fail to eventually get ahead on their own.

    Choices

    • Take the more commonplace idea that kids should have choices and turn it into a more quirky form of discipline. Giving your child multiple options and letting her either choose the right one or fail is a strategy that works for most kids. Instead of giving her options for what she can do -- such as you can clean your room or sit in it while you are grounded tonight -- let her pick her own discipline. If she breaks a rule, ask her what she would like to pick as her consequence. This will help her to understand the severity of her misbehavior and try to connect it with an appropriate outcome.

    Fairness

    • "But mommy, that isn't fair. I wanted to play at the park for the same time as Johnny." If you are hearing a constant stream of comments, or whines, such as this, turn down the tantrums and let your little one know that everything in life isn't fair. Make the "it isn't fair" rule to teach your child that he can't always get his way. Giving in to him 100 percent of the time is more than likely going to result in a super-spoiled child. Avoid the headaches that come along with the spoiled child as he grows and becomes more and more voracious in his appetite for material items by putting a pin in the behavior at an early age.

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