Positive Parenting

Kinder, More Effective Alternatives to Punishment

Guide children and set appropriate boundaries without threats or punishment

Photo by Simon Rae on Unsplash

This is a follow-up to our recent story, punishment makes behaviour worse.

First and foremost: deal with your own issues

We all have baggage, some of us more than others, but we all have some. We also have preconceived ideas about how children should or should not behave and about how adults should parent.

Let me tell you something: when you have a neurodivergent child, those shoulds tend to go right out the window.

What works for neurotypical kids does not always work for neurodivergent children. As any parent knows, what works for one child may not necessarily work for another, regardless of whether or not they have a disability.

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Sometimes we correct, criticize, or punish our children for behaviours out of our own anxiety and discomfort, or because the behaviour triggers something in us.

“An emphasis on having a well behaved child…