Discipline vs. punishment being used with children

For years, child experts, child educators, parents, and children have talked about the difference between discipline vs. punishment being used with children who engage in inappropriate, negative, and unacceptable behaviors.

Definitions have been offered for both terms; however, there hasn’t been a consensus to date regarding which approach may be more effective in correcting inappropriate child behaviors.

Discipline is considered to be the more positive approach designed to help children understand what they’ve done wrong, what they could and should have responsibly done instead, and how to correct any inappropriate behaviors and move forward from that point. It is said that discipline allows for long term improvements in behavior.

Punishment has been described as a short term, negative approach to controlling inappropriate child behaviors; and has been said to be a way of making a child suffer for having done something wrong. Critics of this approach also express a lack of changed behavior in children as a result of punishments being rendered.

“If you’d like to be able to keep your cell phone for the rest of the school year, you’ll want to make sure you don’t use it during any of your classes since there’s a school rule about not using cell phones in school” might be described as a form of discipline parents might use with children.

In contrast, “Don’t even think about using your cell phone during class time, or I’ll take it away from you in a second” might be described as a form of punishment parents may use with children.

For more information and helpful tips about discipline vs. punishment being used with children, see:

Using Time-Outs Effectively
It’s Never Too Soon to Discipline
Positive Discipline
 
 

 

 

 
Sharon M. Biggs, M.A., is a wife, mother, and 21st Century educational leader who serves as Co-Chair & President of Lifeline Foundation, Inc.  This 23-year educator is also Founder, Editor, and Chief Writer of LifelineExtensions.blog. View Sharon's other published works at http://www.examiner.com/.


Contact Sharon directly for more information: sharonbiggs@mylifelinefoundation.org

"Children are the globe's most precious commodity."  (Terence H. Biggs, Jr. ~ 2009)