Parenting can test your patience, especially when your child misbehaves. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises against the use of spanking as a disciplinary tool.

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Spanking or physical discipline can have long-lasting effects, increasing aggression in children. It doesn’t teach responsibility or self control, particularly when parents lose control to administer the spankings.

Discipline That Works

1. Model good behavior. Show how to be calm and respectful of others.
2. Let them know expectations beforehand so they know the rules of the game. Explain how you expect them to behave in the store or at a restaurant before you even go out.
3. Time-outs work best for kids two to five years old. Give one minute per year of age for them to think about what happened and remove them from the troublesome situation.
4. Praise your child for good behavior.
5. Natural consequences work well. “If you throw your snack onto the floor, it goes into the trash.”
6. Use non-optimum behavior you see as a teaching opportunity.

Listen as Dr. Jennifer Shu joins Melanie Cole, MS, to discuss how to help your child curb behavioral issues without spanking.

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