A Swiss-German research study shows that punishment actually works:
“Our societies have clear definitions of what is appropriate,” said Ernst Fehr, an economist at Zurich University and one of the authors. He points to norms such as fairness, cooperation and honesty.
“Most people are willing to comply with these norms in the absence of punishment,” he told swissinfo. “But a significant minority will only do so if threatened.”
That includes children, who are hard-wired to test their limits. It’s your job as a parent to define those limits. Too many parents these days treat their children as equals to adults, which is why so many kids have no respect for their parents, much less other adults. When I’m in a restaurant or other public place, I judge the quality of the parenting by how the children act. Too many parents try to negotiate with their children when they misbehave. Others just ignore them, too dim to even detect the bad behavior.
Here’s a suggestion: When your kids are misbehaving, tell them to stop or suffer some consequence. It can be an hour in timeout, a whack on the fanny or no dessert. Anything. Just punish them somehow. Make them pay for their misbehavior. It will register in their little brains. If you don’t, you’ll get more of it.
