G1731

Parenting Your Child Effectively:
My Parenting Style

If you want to change your parenting style, start by looking at how you correct your children's misbehavior. This is a part of a series of 10 “Parenting Your Child Effectively” guides.

Marilyn S. Fox, Extension Educator

Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Many split-second decisions are needed to guide and discipline children. Although parenting is never easy, it becomes easier when parents look at their own ideas about raising children. If you want to change your parenting style or improve the way you discipline, you need to begin by looking at how you “correct” your children’s misbehavior and how you feel afterward.

The way I usually correct my children is to:
Yes No   Yes No  
_____ _____ Yell and scream _____ _____ Make my child feel ashamed
_____ _____ Spank _____ _____ Let the child suffer whatever happens
_____ _____ Show disapproval _____ _____; Threaten, but don’t follow through
_____ _____ Ignore bad behavior _____ _____ Distract
_____ _____ Scold _____ _____ Take away privileges
_____ _____ Separate from others _____ _____ Other___________________________
When I correct my children I feel:
_____ Terrible! Everything I do seems wrong and makes our family life miserable.
_____ So-so. Sometimes I do OK, and sometimes I make mistakes, but I’d like to do better.
_____ I’m a good parent, but would like to do even better at correcting my children in a positive way.
_____ Great! I’m a perfect parent and nothing I do can be improved.

If you are not happy with your discipline method, try a new one. But, if you make a big change, expect your child to test you for a little while and try to figure out whether you are serious and mean what you say. Usually, if you stay calm and continue to use positive techniques, the child’s behavior will improve.

Acknowledgment

This fact sheet series contains guidelines to help parents interact with their children. It was reformatted from NebGuide G991 (Revised May 1997) written by Herbert G. Lingren, Extension Family Life Specialist.


Visit the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension Publications Web site for more publications.
Index: Family Life
Parenting
Issued July 2007