Parenting is an easy word, but it is one strong expression that represents the arduous task of raising children right from their embryo stage until adulthood and beyond. While love and affection characterize most part of it, there are circumstances when parenting is strict and authoritarian—it is then when we come across the term ‘discipline’.

Discipline is absolutely important in order to ensure adequate upbringing of kids by exercising acertain degree of control over their activities and thought-processes. Without discipline, parenting is not complete, but there is acaution to be exercised—don’t overdo it. Yes, overdisciplinary actions may not produce the desired results and may, at its worst, develop delinquency in kids. Thus, there are certain don’ts you must keep in mind, and five of them are mentioned below:

1. Don’t mistake discipline for punishment29

It is a common fallacy among parents across the world, especially in conservative and/or collective societies, that parents confuse disciplinary action with tendering punishments. These two are completely distinct from one and another, and most of the time produce different results.

Punishment, in theliteral sense, is making somebody suffer for the wrongs they have committed, and it could be both verbal and physical. Discipline, on the other hand, is exercising control by setting up certain mandatory rules in the lives of kids to ensure a positive development of their personality.

2. Avoid excessive reliance upon white lies

Kids usually don’t understand unless they are scared, and one really commonly employed scare tactics is telling white lies. One example of a white lie is: If you do not listen to me, policemen will get you and send you to jail. Of course, these threats are not true, but too much dependency on these lies may produce negative effects such as low-esteem or anti-social behavior.

3. Don’t promote negative behavior

Don’t misjudge from the statement—here it is intended to express disapproval towards a common tendency of parents to offer undue attention to their kids’ negativebehavior. Many times, children try to attract attention by indulging in negative behavior such as screaming or breaking toys. If you provide them attention, they will indulge more, and this will have a negative impact on their upbringing. Instead of that, focus more on their positive behavior and reinforce it whenever possible. By reinforcement, it is meant that you award them whenever they exhibit positive behavior.

4. Stay unified

Parents often end up arguing over discipline, and if they show their conflict right before their kids, kids will surely get confused and develop an understanding that there is no absolute way to observe discipline since the parents are themselves indecisive. Thus, even if you have disagreements, don’t expose them before your kid. Let him/her think you both have a unified and absolute commitment to the enforcement of discipline.

5. Always take timely action

Make sure you take proper action whenever it is needed. You cannot dig up issues which have happened days ago and enforce discipline. Your kid must understand what he has done wrong and how he should rectify himself, and therefore, parents must not exhibit lackadaisical attitude towards the matter of discipline.