Parenting Tips by Jean Tracy, MSS, for grades K-6:

Child Discipline:

Do you look too harsh or too weak when disciplining your kids? Are they afraid of you? Or do they consider you a weakling? Inside you'll find some parenting advice for looking "just right" when disciplining your kids.

Today's Agenda for Building Character in Kids:

• In our last post we discussed a quote from Ogden Nash.
• We also shared 5 parenting tips on effective discipline.
• In this post, we'll look at a quote from Rita Rudner.
• We'll also take one of last week's parenting tips, the "parenting look," and practice it.

Parenting Quote:

"I want to have children and I know my time is running out: I want to have them while my parents are still young enough to take care of them." –Rita Rudner

Wouldn't it be nice if experts raised our kids? Grandparents have the experience. Maybe we should follow Rita Rudner's advice. Who needs that special bond between parents and children? Who needs the purpose in life that parenting offers? Wouldn't it be easier to avoid training kids altogether? If you found a simple method to discipline your kids that would make parenting easier, would you feel encouraged to be the parent? Inside you'll find and good way to start. It's called the "parenting look."

Parenting Tips for the "Parenting Look:"

Look for this tip in the bathroom mirror. Let's say your child ate the last cookie, sassed you, hit his brother, lied about his chores, or something else. Let's say today's stresses have exceeded your patience. Let's say your temper is triggered to fire. What could you do instead of blasting your child? Run to the bathroom. Act out the "parenting look." You'll find it in the mirror.

Public speakers routinely use the mirror for practicing their presentations. They check out their facial expressions. They pretend to see their imagined audience. They put the two together.

Your goal as the parent is to practice how to look and how to connect with your child when you discipline. You'll want to avoid hateful looks that emblazon themselves in kids' minds and looks that tell them you're a pushover parent. You'll want to look serious and in control. Practice that look and imagine your child receiving it. If your look is balanced, then your discipline will be too.

By employing the above parenting tips, you won't need to follow Rita Rudner's advice. You'll enjoy raising your own children. You'll be respected and you'll be building character too.

In our next post, we'll examine another tough and tender parenting tip that will help you discipline effectively.

Please add you own tips for effectively disciplining your kids. We'd love to hear them.

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If you'd like to sharpen your parenting skills, check out our Parenting Skills Kit with its Kind and Firm "Discipline Stick". Now is a great time to build character.