Setting consequences for misbehavior (1100)

Teaching children responsibility is an important job for parents. Perhaps you have explained the limits and demonstrated the desirable behavior but your child still misbehaves. Setting consequences may be the next step.

You may let some consequences happen naturally. "Mother Nature" might do some teaching. Perhaps you have a rule that the roller skates are to be stored in the garage each evening when the children finish using them. You have demonstrated the skill by picking things up together for several nights. You've also explained the reason for the rule. If the skates are left outside and "Mother Nature" sends a rain shower, don't rush in to replace the skates. Resist the temptation to say "I told you so," which fosters resentment and detracts from the lesson learned.

Natural consequences won't always be available. You may need to enforce a logical consequence for leaving the skates outside, such as not allowing the child to attend a skating party or taking away the skates for a week. It's important to set these guidelines for consequences before they need to be used. You might say, "We have talked about the importance of putting your skates away at night, but I still see them in the driveway. The next time they are left out we will need to put them away for one week." 

One last thing to remember: Consequences are helpful, but they should not last forever.

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