Pointer for Effective ParentingKnowing your child for who he is, not who he ought to be or who you thought he was, enables you to better recognize progress when it occurs. Pitfall 2: Relying on Punishment Alone to Change BehaviorSharon: The children who most challenge us are usually those who have been punished the most. Although this approach comes naturally to parents, it does not result in effective behavioral change. Punishment doesn’t change behavior because it does not teach your child a better way to behave. Despite the fact that it hasn’t worked, parents keep right on punishing their kids “to make them behave.” They punish and punish until “there is nothing left to take away.” These children descend into a cycle of misbehavior that results in their digging a hole from which they cannot emerge. To break this cycle, you need to help your child climb out of that hole by looking for positive behavior and rewarding it as soon as you see it. Pointer for Effective ParentingPunishment alone doesn’t change behavior because it does not teach your child a better way to behave.
