Discipline that Encourages Moral Behavior

I think as parent's we have all wondered what types of discipline can encourage moral behavior, and what types of discipline should we avoid?

One of the most powerful types of discipline that can foster moral development is inductive discipline. Inductive discipline is a way you can teach a child to consider others feelings. For example, if your child is playing at the park and they hit another child what do you do? A powerful tool to use is talk to your child about the event of hitting another child and then help them to see how what they done hurt the other child's feelings. It is important to use positive reinforcement when having your child process what they have done. Ask your child what they could have done differently instead of hitting the other child. Once your child tells you what they done, how they could have handled the situation differently then provide praise for the child being honest, and then most of the time the child will go apologize without being asked too. The concept of considering someone's feelings before you do something is important and will be an important lesson learned young to take into adulthood. The hardest thing for a child to consider when they are going through an egocentric stage, when they are in the toddler years, is how important it is to consider the feelings of others and how their actions can affect someone in a positive or negative way.

Consistency is important in discipline because it is important that a child knows what is expected of them, that the type of consequence is the same, and that no matter how much of a temper tantrum they throw you are not giving in. When the child is younger consistency is the best future predictor of prosocial behavior in the future as well as a mutu...

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...ntil I found the ones that work. Discipline is something that is a constant effort and as a child gets older the consequences for behaviors will change, but it is important to keep the methods you use the same.

Never discipline a child in anger because then you might yell at them saying things that you have no business saying to a child or spanking harder then you intended on. If a child lives with criticism then they learn to resent because they feel that they can not do anything right. You want your child to respect you and not fear you. Children comply with expected rules because they respect their parents and will rebel when treated unfairly. Be consistent with your discipline and be firm but fair. If you follow these guidelines it is likely that you will have a well behaved child that is considerate of others feelings and has meaningful relationships in life.