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Just right discipline: Not too hard, not too soft

You’ve said no, it’s too close to dinnertime for a treat. In fact, you’ve said no more than once. But when you come back into the kitchen you find your preschooler hanging precariously off the freezer door with a box of iceblocks clutched in his hand. Do you explode? Or give in and let him have the treat? Either reaction would be normal because our brains tend to operate on autopilot in stressful situations. “But if you respond in an overly harsh or wimpy way, you miss the opportunity to teach your child the skills he needs to do the right thing in the future,” says Dr Becky Bailey, author of Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline. It’s tough to keep your cool, but it’ll be easier to discipline thoughtfully if you’ve already considered smart responses like the ones that follow…

Photo by Getty Creative Feb 9, 2011