Theres a lot of talk about how to appropriately punish a child. And I am happy to say that I have never once had to punish either of my children, who are now at the ages of 14 and 12. We love them, guide them, teach them and clearly communicate our expectations for them. But lets face it, a lot of families have to deal with negative behaviors (with the parents and the children). So how do you address it? What I would consider is this; any kind of negative behavior is a symptom of a greater problem between the parent and child. At some point, the connection was broken down, trust was lost, and personal freedoms were taken away. And the reality is you cant beat love into a child with a fist or a sharp tongue. So were left with the challenge of finding a way to reconnect with the child who has acted out, who has committed an offense... Weve got to regain their trust and give them back their freedom. Weve got to fill them up with love again. But if we just punish these kids without loving them, we teach them to fear us, and worse yet, to attract this kind of situation from others in their life. Please dont hit your kids, with your fist or your words. Peace.
Posted on: Thu, 18 Sep 2014 16:29:28 +0000