Today’s Parenting Tips:

DECIDE:    To get better at discipline that “fits” your child just right.    

PRACTICE:   Today, think about the different types of rules and consequences you used with your child over the past week.

Think about whether your rules are left over from a day gone by – from older children or even from your own childhood. Can you really explain why your rules are what they are or are they automatic?

Are you using enough rules or are you just looking the other way on some matters? Likewise, are you enforcing consequences when rules are broken – most of the time, some of the time, or hardly ever?

Figure out whether your rules and consequences are right for your child’s age and maturity. Remember that an older child can need “younger” types of rules, and a young child can be ready for “older” types of rules.

Put a number to how much you have been using rules and consequences that fit during this past week. Do you think it was 50%, 75%, or 30%?

Compare this number to the one you had on July 22. Has it gotten higher? If so, celebrate. If not, plan to make changes and keep working at it.

Today’s Decide and Practice daily parenting tip was inspired by our featured picture book, MY VERY BIG LITTLE WORLD.  Read the book to a child in your life each day as a reminder of what you are deciding and practicing that day.

Come back each day for another good parenting decision and how to practice it. (Each day’s activity will also be posted on the Daily Parenting Tips page for easy access.)

Read the whole story at Preschoolers – Who Are They? Part 2.