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W
hat do you do when your kids
misbehave? If your tween doesn’t
tidy up after herself when asked
multiple times, do you threaten to
take her iPad away for a week? Or if your toddler
whacks his sibling, do you confiscate his beloved
toy? What if he does it again an hour later? Do you
tell him he doesn’t get a bedtime story unless he
behaves himself?
Do these methods actually work? Hong Kong
experts don’t seem to think so. If they worked, there
would be no need to repeat them week in, week out,
they point out.
Time-outs are out; time-ins are in, they
say. Yelling, spanking and confiscating prized
possessions are out; compassion, connection and
natural consequences are our only hope of raising
cooperative, confident kids.
What does this mean? What are we supposed to
do when our offspring insist on breaking every rule in
the book? The experts share the do’s and don’ts of
disciplining children.
May 2018
35