How to Teach Good Behavior Without Harsh Discipline

You are at your wits end. Your kids have no manners, fight one another, never share, and defy you constantly. Yelling does not work and spanking is even worse. What do you do?

Things You'll Need

  • Patience
  • Persistence
  • Guts
  • Determination

Instructions

    • 1

      Positive reinforcement is a good alternative to negative discipline. You will use a merit for good behavior and a demerit for bad behavior. You will need to make two charts. One will be a month long calendar divided into weeks and the other will be a daily chart with labels for morning, afternoon, and evening. Make it fun by getting the kids involved in making a calendar with some construction paper. A dry erase board might work better for you. You decide.

    • 2

      Write down what behaviors will earn a merit and what will earn a demerit. For example, doing the chores earns a merit, while sassing Mom earns a demerit. Tell the kids they will get one warning for bad behavior and then a demerit. If they behave well in the morning, they get a merit in the morning. Likewise, they will earn a demerit for bad behavior. You decide how many times it takes to get a demerit.

    • 3

      At the end of each day, place a merit or demerit sticker on the monthly calendar for that day. Each day they earn a merit, they earn some kind of reward.

    • 4

      The type of reward given and the amount of time required to earn the reward is limited only by your imagination. Some parents award one-on-one time with each child. Others allow a trip to the dollar store. Some kids get their reward each week, while others wait until the end of the month. Try this time-honored method with your children. It will not hurt anyone, and it has to be better than yelling.

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