What is Positive Discipline?
Positive Discipline is both deceptively simple and completely transformational.
Positive Discipline focuses on five main criteria:
Helps children feel a sense of connection and belonging
Is effective long-term
Is mutually respectful and encouraging
Teaches life skills
Empowers children to see how capable they are
When children feel connected and significant in their families they want to contribute and explore their own capabilities. Positive Discipline focuses on finding long-term solutions, emphasizing solutions over punishment. While punishment-based discipline can be effective in the short term it does not teach life skills and social skills and does not invite children to be part of a long-term solution. Positive Discipline encourages mutual respect: parents respect children and children respect parents. Parents and children are a team that work together, with the parent leading the way and holding kind AND firm boundaries as needed. When we see our children as capable, they see themselves as capable and are empowered to contribute, learn and grow.
