CONSEQUENCES…

When rules are broken, there should be consequences. Also discuss these upfront, and not at the point when the rule has been broken and everyone is feeling emotional. Your child should know exactly what to expect when breaking a rule. Make the punishments small and easy enough to carry out. It is a common parenting mistake to threaten really dire consequences, for example no television for a month for leaving a towel on the floor. This becomes impossible to carry out, and after a few days you cave and let your child watch television. To your child this signals that the boundaries are very fluid, and he will keep testing them to find out where your limits are – exhausting all round. So keep the punishments quick and small and easy to execute. Also, forgive quickly and move on.