What do you have to lose?

I try very hard not to lose my temper with my son. I repeat phrases in my head like "he's only six" or "he's still learning" or "will he have a memory of this moment?" but sometimes it is inevitable. I yell; he cries; he loses things.

He is at that age where the loss of objects or fun activities works as a discipline tool. For example, he has lost his electronic devices privileges and is really bummed out by it. Discipline is a tricky thing, and what works for our family doesn't necessarily work for someone else.

What doesn't work for all families? Spanking. Research has shown that spanking is on the decline but there is still work to be done. There are lots of families out there who either don't know about the negative side effects or who believe that because they were spanked and turned out fine it is fine to continue that as a punishment. Spanking really only teaches children that hitting is OK when anger flares up. And that is the opposite of what we want them to learn.

So, we try other various modes of discipline and see what sticks. Taking away privileges is one, sending him to a boring spot in the house (for there is way too much fun to be had in his room) is another. It kind of depends on what the infraction was, but we learn as we go. And, hopefully, he learns too.

What discipline measure works well in your household? Tell me in the comments.