When Your Children Mess Up; The Ticket or the Lecture?

When your kids have messed up, do you dish out the ticket or the lecture? This is a common trap for us all. When the natural consequences sometime appear to be inadequate to the crime committed, as parents we tend to adopt the next best thing - lectures!

A little while ago, a friend relayed a story of a time he had been indulging in driving too quickly as he tested the power of his latest purchase.

How to Discipline Your Children Beyond Divorce

A traffic officer pulled him over to the side of the road, started the normal procedures to check the car registration, driver license, warrant of fitness, and other items on their mandatory checklist. Our friend, hoping he would be lucky enough to get off with just a warning, was friendly and obliging. Without a change in tone or stance, the officer started writing out a ticket and with it started to tell him about his shortsighted behaviour in breaking the speeding laws.

Our friend interrupted, "Are you giving me a ticket?"

"Yes," replied Mr. Officer.

"It's the ticket or the lecture; but not both!" our friend retorted.

This is a conversation that frequently jumps to mind as an extremely valuable lesson for us as parents. Let your children have the natural consequence, but don't bore them with the lecture. It is their choice, and they were prepared to live with the consequences, so let them learn. The lecture only adds to your angst and does little to get the message across.

Until next time, all the best on your parenting journey.

PS: If you've got questions, stories, or comments, I'd love to hear from you. Please post a comment below or email me.