Computer Games

You misbehaved so here’s your discipline a wonderful game of Ring around the Roses, everybody grab hands

As I was blog browsing today I came across a blog entry that had a link from Parents.com about fun ways to discipline your child without the yelling and timeouts and dare I say spankings. The first thing that came to my mind was the thought that discipline isn’t supposed to be fun, that it is why it is defined as

dis·ci·pline (dĭs’ə-plĭn) Pronunciation Key
n.

• 1. Training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement.
• 2. Controlled behavior resulting from disciplinary training; self-control.
• 3. Control obtained by enforcing compliance or order.

Nowhere in that definition does it mention anything about fun and games. None of those words in the definition have even the slight hint of fun. Controlled, enforcing, compliance, order: none of those scream fun, fun, fun!

I had not yet read the actual article from Parents.com so I decided to do so just to take a look at the “fun” forms of discipline. So I read The Fun Mom’s Guide to Discipline and I was definitely off track with my interpretation of fun discipline. The article demonstrates ways to teach your child better behavior by using “fun methods.” Not rewarding bad behavior with fun, but teaching discipline through creative activities.

Had I not read the article the next time I was at the park and saw a family enjoying the playground I may have assumed that their child was being disciplined for bad behavior in school…there is nothing like reading to clear up situation, I tell ya!