A Discipline Plan

As a parent, it's important to know why discipline is important. You also need to know how to discipline. Researchers suggest that parents develop a discipline plan:

• Consider your children's personalities, abilities, and needs. Take into account your own personality as well. The plan you create must be right for you, or you won't be able to follow through with it.
• Consider each child's age and development. Children master the ability to control themselves at different rates. Ask yourself, "Am I expecting too much? Are my children misbehaving, or are they just acting their age?" Talk to your children's doctor if you're not sure what to expect.
• Remember that no single method will work with every child every time. That's why researchers suggest a two-part discipline plan:

Reward your children when they behave well. The simplest reward is attention: A touch, a smile, a hug, or a wink from you. Your loving attention helps your children to feel pride and satisfaction in behaving well.

Stop your children when they behave badly. Of course, you can only reward good behavior when your children are behaving well. When they aren't, there are many steps you can take to stop misbehavior.

Experts suggest voicing your disapproval, taking away privileges, or grounding. For younger children, age three and older, experts highly recommend using timeouts.