3. HELP THE CHILD TO RESPECT AUTHORITY Parents, take charge of your children. That's basic in Discipline 101. But being a trusted authority in your child's life does not automatically come with the job of being a parent. The child who is told he must obey "or else," may behave, but does so out of fear, not respect. "Honor thy father and thy mother" is the wise and time-honored teaching; not fear them. Honor implies both obedience and respect. How do you get your children to respect you? An authority figure needs to be both warm and wise. First, get connected to your child. Start as a nurturer, a baby comforter. In so doing, you get to know your baby and your baby trusts you. Respect for authority is based on trust. once your child trusts you to meet her needs, she will trust you to set her limits. one day I asked a mother why she felt so confident as an authority figure. She said, "A lot of my security comes from knowing my children." Because she understood her children, she was able to guide them wisely and know they would follow. Many parents confuse being in charge with being in control. Instead of directly controlling children, wise authority figures control the situation in order to make it easier for children to learn to control themselves. Children respond with genuine trust and respect rather than fear and rebellion. 4. SET LIMITS, PRoVIDE STRUCTURE Establish rules, but at the same time create conditions that make the rules easier to follow. Children need boundaries. They won't thrive or survive without limits; neither will their parents. To learn about their environment, toddlers must explore and be energetic. That's their job. Environmental control is the parents' job. This involves both setting wise limits and providing structure, which means creating an atmosphere in the home that makes these limits easier to respect. The limit-setting part of disciplining a toddler is to say "no" to an exploring child who is headed for trouble; the structure part is to childproof the home to provide busy minds and bodies a safe place to play and learn. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email alerts & NEW webcam video instant messaging with Yahoo! Messenger http://im.yahoo.com >> Kirim bunga dukacita, ucapan selamat dll ke mancanegara? Klik, >http://www.indokado.com/international/ >> Info balita, http://www.balita-anda.indoglobal.com Etika berinternet, email ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Stop berlangganan, e-mail ke: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
