Parenting Styles: 3 Common Mistakes Parents Do to Discipline Children

To discipline your child to behave can be a very long process which requires a lot of time, effort, patience, and strategies which simply can’t be done overnight. When done properly, it can be very rewarding and make life's relationship much easier for you, your child and your family.

3 common mistakes of parents


(1) Parents using one parenting style and applying it to children with a specific diagnosis like ADHD.  Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a behavioural disorder that is seen in early childhood. You may know it by the name attention deficit disorder ADD.  It makes it hard for people to slow down their impulsive responses that can involve all from movement to words to special treatment.

Children with ADHD or other forms of analysis will require you to adapt your parenting styles to benefit the child effectively. Punishing a child with ADHD, to discipline him, will not work if this is what you do in your parenting styles.

(2) Parents looking for the best forms of punishments to deter unwanted behaviours usually want a list of consequences they can use in such a situation. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. It usually tends to be case specific like when your child doesn’t wake up and get ready for school in the morning, you might want to make the child go to bed earlier. Although it solves part of the problem it doesn’t resolve it entirely. What you need are problem solving skills in your parenting styles, rather than consequences to have the right desired effect.

(3) While applying their parenting styles, they assume that punishing their children will rectify their child’s behavior.  You must have the right discipline strategies in place if you are going to teach your child how to behave with proven methods that work.


Here are some child discipline tips to stop your child from misbehaving.

1.   Lead by example and be a good role model for your children so they can follow the rules. They are easily influenced at this stage and mimic what is around them.

2.   Pay close attention to your child’s behaviour and take swift action if your child disobeys. It is recommended you give a verbal warning very quickly and implement a discipline plan to counteract this behaviour.

3.   Be firm with them and explain why you are doing this.

4.   You must remember children will always be pushing the boundaries no matter what stage of development they are at and you must follow through at all times.

5.   When your child upsets you, do not take it personally. If for example, they swear at you, take time out by calming down and leave the room.

6.   Next, devise a discipline strategy to rectify the problem.

To effectively solve problem behaviours, you need to think about what you are going to do with your parenting styles rather than being controlled by feelings. For instance, if kids don’t want to do their homework, you can actually do something about it by turning it into a game making it more fun for them.  If your child is studying history on Thanks Giving, why not turn it into a role play by you and them acting out certain events in Thanks Giving.

Lecturing about how they should respect you is not constructive as it won’t resolve or change their behaviour.

Set in place a structure and achievable goals that your kids can work on rather than talking at your children about how they should respect you. What you really need are discipline measures that involve setting limits as well as problem solving skills. You need to ask yourself what is the lesson you would like your child to learn. The lesson may not be a consequence.

"Parenting Styles: 3 Common Mistakes Parents Do when Disciplining Children" is written by Rhys Klu.  Rhys Klu has more ways to update your parenting styles, discipline children’s  behavioral problems, and improve your relationship.


Parenting Styles: 3 Common Mistakes Parents Do when Disciplining Children  is a post on  Modern Parenting Tips: Styles & Approach to Train & Discipline Children


Related topics to read on:

• All-Time Parenting Styles: Which One is the Most Effective?
• Effective Parenting Roles to Children
• Ways to Help Your Child not to Use Excuses