Developing Your Child's Self Discipline
Self-discipline is the ability to set a realistic goal or make a
plan--then stick with it. It is the ability to resist doing
things that can hurt others or ourselves. It involves keeping
promises and following through on commitments. It is the
foundation of many other qualities of character. Often
self-discipline requires persistence and sticking to long-term
commitments--putting off immediate pleasure for later
fulfillment.It also includes dealing effectively with emotions,
such as anger and envy, and developing patience.
Learning self-discipline helps children regulate their behavior
and gives them the willpower to make good decisions and choices.
On the other hand, the failure to develop self-discipline leaves
children wide open to destructive behavior. Without the ability
to control or evaluate their impulses, they often dive headlong
into harmful situations.
What You Can Do
Talk with your child about setting reachable goals. For example,
help him break big tasks into little tasks that can be
accomplished one at a time. Have the child pick a task and set a
deadline for completing it. When the deadline has passed, check
together to see if the task was completed.
Help your child build a sense of her competence. To do this, she
needs experiences of success, no matter how small. This builds
confidence and effort for the next time.
Keep making the tasks just a little more challenging but doable.