How to discipline a young child

If you have never been around toddlers then count your blessings. Some kids make you feel like they are testing your patience. If you have none, then you will most likely growl or even spank them but it shouldn’t be that way. As a parent, you should know all the rules.Never give in to a tantrum. Kids are smarter that most people think and will know that their tantrums guarantee them anything they want. Some kids are temperamentally difficult, while others are more likely to misbehave because our responses encourage it. All babies go through that stage at the end of the first year when they throw everything; food, cups - over the side of the high chair. If it’s any consolation, it’s more a test of gravity than a test of you. To some kids, it is a sign that they have had enough. If you do not remove the plate promptly the second their tummy is filled, everything within reach becomes suddenly airborne!There is nothing wrong with a little communication – and that communication is letting your kids know there are consequences for such actions. You could make them pick up whatever it is they have intentionally dropped. Don’t help until they’ve at least made a good attempt to clean it up - even though it’ll probably going to lead to lots of crying.Some parents have mastered the art of ignoring tantrums. Simply look the other way, when you do not have the time or energy to deal with your toddlers’ antics – or even better leave the room. There is nothing like throwing a tantrum when there is no one there to witness it!Post a list of simple house rules on the refrigerator to remind them of what won’t be tolerated. Pick one rule for each year of your child’s age - the misbehaviors that matter most to you and that you know your child can follow, such as “No hitting” or “No climbing on the table” - and use pictures to illustrate them. Your child will eventually recognize and remember them if you make a habit of pointing to each one every time there’s an infraction.For the climbers, the furniture always ends up as another version of the gym. If that is the case in your house then you are five minutes away from a broken arm. What do you do when your toddler doesn’t seem to listen to you about the danger they are putting themselves in? “I simply let my son do as he wishes, so that when he falls, he doesn’t climb the edge of the chair again,” says Janet Kaitesi, a working mother of three.Janet insists that once a kid has faced danger, they are less likely to repeat the misdemeanor. David Agaba, a father of one begs to differ saying that is no way to teach a kid. “I simply talk to mine. I get really close, stare down at him, and say, ‘Don’t get on there again or you’ll really get hurt.’ Then I take him away, and he doesn’t do it again.”Harsh treatment of any kind is simply not acceptable. They can listen if only you speak to them. Sometimes, kids can be a lot more supportive than you think.