The heartbeat of your behavior change program is your consequences because they help you keep your rules alive. Think of rules as the brains of the operation because they have the information about what behavior is expected. Think of rewards as the legs of the program because they keep things running nicely. And be sure to think of 'consequences' as something very different from punishment.

Consequences are natural and logical outcomes of behavior. Consequences can be rewarding. But, when there is a problem to deal with, natural consequences free you from struggling to control your child while he has opportunities to learn to solve his own problems. Above all though, you want to keep your children safe so there may be times of exception when you call the shot, and that's that.

Key Tips for Successful Consequence Planning

1. Match up the severity of the consequence with the seriousness of the violation. This does not mean be harsh. It does mean a consequence must be compelling enough for your child to take action. Banishing your child from the kitchen because he spilled the milk