Last night’s twitter chat focused on positive parenting, guidance, and discipline. By looking at how we were raised as children and how we raise our kids today, we learn that not all of the techniques used on us will work for our kids. We know disciplining can be tough but through positive parenting and guidance, we can help our children learn from their mistakes and still feel loved.
To read our entire young parent twitter chat, click here for our storify link.
We have compiled some awesome parenting tips from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Boston Children’s Hospital to help you!
• Parenting Tip #1: Find a good book that will tell you what’s normal at certain stages of child development. This will help you calm the anger you may feel when your toddler shows off her new haircut, the one she gave herself!
• Parenting Tip #2: When your child has a tantrum at the mall, she’s probably not trying to anger you. She just may not be old enough to sit still for more than a few minutes and handle a rush of bright lights and noise.
• For more awesome tips on Keeping Young Anger Under Control, check out Brigham and Women’s website: http://healthlibrary.brighamandwomens.org/Search/1,4586.
• Parenting Tip #3: With the right methods, discipline can be a positive, loving experience. On the other hand, physical punishment and yelling will only frighten your child and encourage aggression.
• Parenting Tip #4: Make corrections about learning rather than getting in trouble. Don’t just tell your child not to run around with food in his mouth. Explain why this rule is important.
• Parenting Tip #5: Your child may be angry and uncooperative because his play date just ended. You can say, “I see you are feeling upset because Jack left, but you still need to pick up your train set.”
• Parenting Tip #6: Spanking teaches that violence is a way to solve problems. It can cause your children to fear you and ruin the trust they have in you.
• Parenting Tip #7: Don’t threaten your children when you’re angry. When you say there will be a consequence to bad behavior, follow through with it so it’s not an empty threat. If you don’t, your kids will know that you don’t really mean what you say.
• Parenting Tip #8: When your child is doing something well, like picking up toys without being asked, show your appreciation. Teachers call it “catching your child being good.”
• Parenting Tip #9: Parenting is tough job, and you’re bound to make mistakes. If you yelled at your children, apologize for losing your temper and start over. Your children will learn how to apologize from your example and learn that parents can get angry at their children and still love them.
• Parenting Tip #10: Taking a time out when you’re angry, if necessary, will help you discipline your children in a way that helps them learn from their mistakes and still feel loved.
• To read more on How To Discipline Your Child With Love, visit Brigham and Women’s website for some lovely tips: http://healthlibrary.brighamandwomens.org/Search/1,4588
• Discipline methods often depend on the age of your child, and how much your child understands her behavior. The Boston Children’s Hospital website has some suggestions for discipline techniques for each age group: http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site947/mainpageS947P1.html
• For more info on temper tantrums and what to look out for, visit this site: http://www.childrenshospital.org/az/Site1683/mainpageS1683P1.html/.
Thank you for joining and supporting our live weekly young parent twitter chats! Every Tuesday at 8 PM EST.
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