Parenting+for+School+Success

Parenting for School Success __**Children need the skills of self-discipline and self-control to be successful at school.**__ Children who exhibit these skills are also usually able to get along better with family members, friend and have a more positive self-concept than those who have difficulty in these areas. Parents can help their child learn self-discipline and self-control by...

"I sure would like to go faster, but I better stick to the speed limit." "I'm really upset right now. I'll be able to talk to you about this after I take time to cool down."
 * 1) __Model self-discipline and self-control by thinking out loud.__** Say things like:

"Would you like to set the table or clean up after dinner?" "Do you want to hear a story or draw for 10 minutes before going to bed?"
 * 2) __Give your child the chance to make many small choices.__** Say things like:


 * 3) __Allow your child to make plenty of "affordable mistakes".__** By making plenty of mistakes when they are young, children will have the wisdom and self-control to avoid larger, more costly mistakes when they are older. Instead of bringing their forgotten homework to school, allow your child to experience the consequences of not remembering. It may take a while, but your child will learn the self-discipline needed to get assignments done and turned in. This is better than your child learning the lesson more painfully when he or she is in high school or college!


 * 4) __Require your child to be calm before discussing a problem.__** If he or she is angry or upset simply say, "I'll be happy to talk to you when your voice is as calm as mine," or " as soon as you clean up the stuff you threw on the floor, we can talk about why you are upset."


 * 5) Discipline your child with empathy, not anger or frustration.** If you deal with misbehavior when you are angry or frustrated, the child thinks, "When I act irresponsibly, it makes other people really mad. Next time, I won't get caught." When parents give consequences with empathy the child thinks, "When I act irresponsibly, it makes my life sad. The quality of my life depends on the decisions I make." A child who thinks this way develops self-discipline and self-control and does not need constant supervision or threats of punishment to behave properly.


 * FOR MORE IDEAS ON THIS TOPIC VISIT** **[|**WWW.LOVEANDLOGIC.COM**]** and look for information about upcoming Love and Logic workshops at Laurel Mountain Elementary School. Love and Logic books, audio tapes and DVD's are also available for check-out through the counseling office.