PPBC 7th edition: Discipline

Beyond the responsibilities of giving the basic needs of our offspring, we, as parents, are charged with the responsibility of molding them into good, decent, law-abiding people with respect for other people and their rights. In short, we have to discipline our kids. But how?

The word discipline comes from the Latin word "disciplina" which means "to teach." It involves teaching the child right from wrong, respecting other people's rights and the behaviors which are acceptable and which are not. As there are many forms of teaching, there also are many forms of disciplining. (from Mommy Jeng's post)

When do you start disciplining your child? Is there even a "right" age to start discipline?

When our son turned 6-months old we learned that he can already distinguish the difference in our voice pattern. So naturally I have learned to shout "No!" when I need for him to know that he shouldn't do a particular thing. I was able to observe how he would still try to do it again but stops whenever I call out his name in a louder, deeper, I-told-you-not-to-do-that voice. That means he is ready to be disciplined already.
-- Mommy Jown

I am just a neophyte in the art of parenting. My son is only turning 11 months old. That isn't to say that discipline is not yet an issue for us because it is. However, it's not yet time really for us to be practicing on our child because we're still in the process of disciplining each other and ourselves.
-- Mommy Mec

For us, we really started discpiplining our son when he was about 10 months, as this was the time he started to talk and communicate with us through his words and actions. Even though sometimes he would just stare at me, wondering what I was talking about, I would talk to him about how to properly do things. I do not think that there is really a right age to start on disciplining children. It is an ongoing process and as our children grow, we also learn about their behaviors.
-- Mommy Jeng

I believe that the first seven years of a child is important in teaching them the right attitude and discipline. This formative years of their life is essential because they will carry them in their growing up years.
-- Daddy Mon

I'm a first-time mother to an 18-month baby girl and I really have not paid so much attention to ways to discipline your kid since i thought that my daughter had to be at the "right" age before we can implement discipline on her. Until she threw her first tantrum that we knew that there is no such thing as too early to discipline a kid.
-- Mommy Jacque

For us, disciplining our child started before she was born. Actually, the discipline started several years before she was even conceived. Each of us knew from the examples in our lives that we had to be in the right positive mind and self-disciplined to be the proper role model for her before she was born. To try and figure it out after the child is here means you are playing a game of catch up. They start learning from you immediately.
-- Mommy Anah

How do you teach your kids right from wrong? How do you instill your rules?
What do you do if your child breaks the rules? How do you feel about spanking?

Not all the parents would agree on spanking. Those who think that under no circumstances would they resort to spanking, at least for their kids, are Mommy Aileen, Mommy KCee, Mommy Jeng, Mommy Anah

Those who believe that in certain circumstances, it may be justifiable to spank are Mommy Jown, Mommy Mec, Mommy Jacque, Daddy Angel and myself.

All of the parents who participated feel that the best way to teach children is to talk to them about their actions and consequences and to lead by example AND there are other ways to "punish" children aside from spanking.

Who is the disciplinarian in the family?

Daddy - Mommy Jeng, Mommy Jacque
Mommy - Girl for all Seasons
Equal Roles - Mommy Jown, Mommy Aileen, Mommy Mec, Daddy Mon, Daddy Angel, Mommy Anah, Mommy Joey

All parents agree that there is no definite right or wrong in disciplining a child. It really depends on a lot of factors. What works for one family may not work for another. Sometimes, what works on one sibling may not work on another.

With this I conclude the 7th edition of the Pinoy Parenting Blog Carnival. It is a tough but interesting topic. I hope you all enjoy all the entries as much as I did. I loved doing this because I definitely learned a lot from this. Thank you very much to all the participants for submitting your entries despite the late invitation. For those who weren't able to submit your entries, there's always next edition! I hope to see you all in the next edition (to be hosted by Mommy Leah). Watch this blog for more announcements. See you soon!