The purpose of effective discipline is to help children organize themselves, internalize rules and acquire appropriate behaviour patterns. Regardless of the developmental stage and age of the child, some basic principles can help guide the physician: This is particularly important when dealing with controversial issues such as disciplinary spanking. This means using principles supported by academic, peer-reviewed literature. A balanced, objective view should be used to provide resources, and the goal should be to remain objective. It is important that in teaching effective discipline, physicians do not impose their own agendas on the families they counsel. The physician needs to be mindful of these challenges and suggest steps that parents can take to resolve these differences ( 1). Parental disagreements about child-rearing techniques, as well as cultural differences between parents, often result in inconsistent disciplining methods. Telling children to “Do as I say, but not as I do” does not achieve effective discipline. It can be particularly hard for parents to be consistent role models. One of the major obstacles to achieving these goals is inconsistency, which will confuse any child, regardless of developmental age. The goal is to protect the child from danger, help the child learn self-discipline, and develop a healthy conscience and an internal sense of responsibility and control. Thus, effective discipline means discipline applied with mutual respect in a firm, fair, reasonable and consistent way. Harsh discipline such as humiliation (verbal abuse, shouting, name-calling) will also make it hard for the child to respect and trust the parent. Inconsistency in applying discipline will not help a child respect his or her parents. The child should be able to respect the parent’s authority and also the rights of others. The foundation of effective discipline is respect. A disciplined person is able to postpone pleasure, is considerate of the needs of others, is assertive without being aggressive or hostile, and can tolerate discomfort when necessary. The goal of effective discipline is to foster acceptable and appropriate behaviour in the child and to raise emotionally mature adults.
The hurried pace of today’s society can be an obstacle to effective discipline. The physician must stress that teaching about limits and acceptable behaviour takes time and a great deal of energy. Parenting is the task of raising children and providing them with the necessary material and emotional care to further their physical, emotional, cognitive and social development.ĭisciplining children is one of the most important yet difficult responsibilities of parenting, and there are no shortcuts. Trust between parent and child should be maintained and constantly built upon. As with all other interventions aimed at pointing out unacceptable behaviour, the child should always know that the parent loves and supports him or her. Effective and positive discipline is about teaching and guiding children, not just forcing them to obey. It is the foundation for the development of the child’s own self-discipline. Discipline is the structure that helps the child fit into the real world happily and effectively.
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