You want nothing but the best for your child. The love you have for your kids knows no limits, but maybe it should. You are doing your child a great disservice if you do not teach discipline and responsible behavior using effective parenting skills. There is a fine line between loving and spoiling, and if you don’t stop bad behavior at a very young age, your spoiled little brat will become a spoiled adult. Practice these simple but proven ways to avoid spoiling your child, and you will help nurture a responsible, respectable and well-rounded individual.
1 – Establish and enforce clear, strict limits
There can be no gray area here. Once you tell your child what you will and will not allow, you must hold your position firmly. The first time you backtrack and allow your child to cross the line of what you have established as acceptable behavior, there is no going back. Children naturally crave discipline, but they will test you from time to time. Set your limits, and then enforce them strictly. Your relationship with your child will be all the better for this.
2 – Teach children to work for what they want
To keep from spoiling your child, why not teach them a valuable behavior they can benefit from for the rest of their life? Many child care experts believe that kids quickly become spoiled when they get what they want too easily. Set up a reward system attached to specific actions, and you will be equipping your child with a wonderful and responsible work ethic.
3 – Chores get done, then the fun
This seems like a no-brainer. Of course your children should clean their rooms or finish their homework before playtime, right? Unfortunately, not all parents believe this. Being strict on chores and rewarding their completion with fun-time activities makes your child appreciate them even more. Pediatricians believe that being strict on responsibilities helps foster your child’s ability to cope with frustration. Even toddlers benefit from the self-esteem that helping out around the house delivers.
4 – Never reward begging behavior
Often times you can spot a spoiled child from a mile away. He is the one who consistently begs and begs and begs until he gets what he wants. The first time you reward begging behavior, you are starting your child down a very slippery slope toward more negative and irresponsible actions. Do you really want to teach your children that begging is a more effective way of getting what they want than working towards it?
5 – Be prepared to disappoint your child
Always remember that as you raise your children, you are setting life examples that they will take into adulthood. Establish and backup clear and definable limits, and teach your children responsibility by letting them work towards the things that they want.
Chores are never fun, but they must be done before the real fun begins. And don’t forget that sometimes you will have to disappoint your child. This includes never rewarding begging behavior. These 5 simple tips will keep you from spoiling your children, and will set them on a healthy and responsible path that will pay wonderful social and personal dividends for the rest of their lives.