Help! Love, MOM

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What an astounding statement from the American College of Pediatricians (ACPeds): Central to the success of childrearing is the process of child discipline.  I’m saying it this way regarding your kids:

–Correction is essential for a child’s success.

–Correction is investment in a child’s productive future.

–Correction is protection.

At this time of the year, I often reflect on child discipline for at least two reasons. The first is that – depending on where you live, now or soon is the very beginning of summer vacation for most American kids.

Especially in this just-before-camp-and-the-start-of-other-summer-associated-events season there are lots of spaces in which children publicly interact with their families.

I’m more likely to see parents + the kiddos with their collective faces fastened to their screens, not seeing one another let alone actually interacting with one another.

However, if and when they surface for a face to face encounter, it can be unpleasant. (Thankfully, I also observe well-behaved children with their families.)

However, when I witness the struggle of some families I wonder: do parents know that discipline/correction is protection not punishment?

Discipline IS NOT PUNISHMENT

According to the American Heritage Dictionary and cited by the ACPeds, discipline is defined as “training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.”

Therefore, a broad definition of discipline is that it is the consistent application of teaching. As the ACPeds applies the definition to child rearing, child discipline is teaching and training children (this includes all ages of children but tends to work best the earlier taught) how to act and manage their own feelings, how to take responsibility for their own actions, among other things like integrity, honesty, and competency and to do these CONSISTENTLY.

The ACPeds goes on, “These traits do not come naturally to the infant, toddler or preschooler, but, through the disciplinary process, a child will acquire them…”

“In the context of parenting,” the ACPeds says, “…the discipline process is comprised of three primary components: instruction, affirmation, and correction.”

“These three parental efforts act upon the child’s temperament, is influenced by environmental and parental factors [and is a] … complex process [which] produces a child outcome through the combination of many elements ─ most of which are within the parents’ control, particularly at younger ages.”

Amazing Results of Consistent Child Discipline

According to Verywell Family, when parents consistently teach, affirm, encourage and, yes, correct their children’s missteps their kids, over time, become:

• more responsible [including] helping others at home, at school, and in the world at large;
• more self-confident; [since] they know [that] their opinions and feelings will be heard and that their parents love them even when they make mistakes;
• more self-controlled and are more self-sufficient; and, they are
• accountable for their mistakes or misbehavior, and are more likely to make good choices because they want to, not because they fear punishment.

Sounds like lovingly and consistently disciplined children are more likely to grow into dependable and productive friends, neighbors, workers, leaders, team players, et cetera.

In summary, correction is protection from the inability to successfully navigate the many “slings and arrows” of everyday life. Easy to implement? No, Mom, not easy at all! But the HELP! Love, MOM team is cheering for you.

I’d really like to hear from you. What are your thoughts on child discipline? What has your experience been?

Corrected as a Kid

xoxo Kimberly

Fun Stuff- Because you deserve a laugh!

A petite dog not working on patience, here.

A petite human not caring about your rules- just saying, here.

It’s the “just in case” for me, here .