How to Avoid Making Idle Threats to Your Kids
Follow through with consequences., Be consistent., Talk to your child about your expectations., Find ways to follow through no matter where you are.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Follow through with consequences.
Idle or empty threats are common, and children generally know that.
They won’t respond or change their behavior if they don’t believe that their parents will follow through.
This makes your child stop looking at you as an authority figure.
When you say you are going to punish them or give them consequences, make sure that you do that.By giving your child a lot of idle threats, you can negatively impact the relationship that you have.
This can cause discipline problems later in life. -
Step 2: Be consistent.
Having consistent discipline helps establish rules and boundaries for your child.
Being consistent with your discipline and following through helps your children have a routine and understand consequences for their actions.Being consistent means giving a punishment each time they misbehave, not just sometimes.
You can also create specific punishments for certain behaviors, so you and your child know what to expect if they do a certain thing. , After misbehavior occurs, take your child aside or somewhere where the two of you are alone.
Talk to them about the misbehaving incident.
Explain what the problem was and what you expect from them.For example, you may say, “Tonight, you jumped on the couch while we had guests.
That behavior is not acceptable.
If you are excited or upset, it is not okay to jump on the furniture.
We can find a better way for you to act if you are excited.
Next time you jump on the furniture, you will receive a timeout.” You might also consider taking something away from them as a form of punishment.
For instance, say that they can’t watch a show they enjoy if they continue to engage in bad behavior. , Sometimes, it may not be convenient to follow through with a warning.
However, you still need to be consistent and follow through with the consequences for your child.
Find a way to follow through even if you are in public.For example, if you are at a party, you may say, “I will put you in time out if you do not stop jumping on the furniture.” If they don’t stop, take them to an empty room, outside, or in a corner
- any place they can have a time out.
You can find benches or less populated areas if you are in a store or restaurant. -
Step 3: Talk to your child about your expectations.
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Step 4: Find ways to follow through no matter where you are.
Detailed Guide
Idle or empty threats are common, and children generally know that.
They won’t respond or change their behavior if they don’t believe that their parents will follow through.
This makes your child stop looking at you as an authority figure.
When you say you are going to punish them or give them consequences, make sure that you do that.By giving your child a lot of idle threats, you can negatively impact the relationship that you have.
This can cause discipline problems later in life.
Having consistent discipline helps establish rules and boundaries for your child.
Being consistent with your discipline and following through helps your children have a routine and understand consequences for their actions.Being consistent means giving a punishment each time they misbehave, not just sometimes.
You can also create specific punishments for certain behaviors, so you and your child know what to expect if they do a certain thing. , After misbehavior occurs, take your child aside or somewhere where the two of you are alone.
Talk to them about the misbehaving incident.
Explain what the problem was and what you expect from them.For example, you may say, “Tonight, you jumped on the couch while we had guests.
That behavior is not acceptable.
If you are excited or upset, it is not okay to jump on the furniture.
We can find a better way for you to act if you are excited.
Next time you jump on the furniture, you will receive a timeout.” You might also consider taking something away from them as a form of punishment.
For instance, say that they can’t watch a show they enjoy if they continue to engage in bad behavior. , Sometimes, it may not be convenient to follow through with a warning.
However, you still need to be consistent and follow through with the consequences for your child.
Find a way to follow through even if you are in public.For example, if you are at a party, you may say, “I will put you in time out if you do not stop jumping on the furniture.” If they don’t stop, take them to an empty room, outside, or in a corner
- any place they can have a time out.
You can find benches or less populated areas if you are in a store or restaurant.
About the Author
Jeffrey Adams
Writer and educator with a focus on practical organization knowledge.
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