Spanking

Although it is beyond the scope of this entry to discuss disciplinary alternatives in depth, several brief comments are warranted. First, parenting experts recommend that parents create a disciplinary plan in advance so that they have discussed how they will respond in a variety of situations. This might eliminate some of the spanking that occurs impulsively and out of anger. Secondly, parents should consider a variety of alternatives such as

• Redirecting children to a more suitable activity;
• Rewarding children who follow the rules;
• Utilizing time-outs for short periods of time;
• Helping children to avoid situations and activities that naturally lead to misbehavior;
• Removing privileges;
• Allowing for natural consequences to result from negative behavior;
• Giving additional chores;
• Grounding older children from certain activities or friends; and
• Above all, communicating and reasoning with children about problem behavior.