Inductive discipline is one of the best techniques that many parenting experts use and recommend to parents.
Normally, new parents have little to no practical experience in parenting, so when their kids break rules, they might start shouting, yelling, or even hitting.
These techniques will not only cause childhood trauma for kids but will also destroy the relationship between kids and their parents.
In this guide, we will help you to understand inductive parenting and discipline through the following elements:
How many parents use inductive discipline?
Benefits of inductive parenting for kids
What if I have to use physical discipline with my kids?
What should I do if kids do not care about inductive discipline anymore?
How do I react if my partner uses power-assertive discipline?
What is inductive discipline?
Inductive reasoning, in general, is the way of reasoning and talking with someone, which can lead to consequences.
Simply put, inductive discipline means that when kids make mistakes, their parents talk to them and explain why their behavior or action was bad, and then parents use a suitable discipline according to their kids’ age.
This approach to discipline was first mentioned in research conducted by American psychologist Martin L. Hoffman.
Parents who use parental induction care more about improving their kids’ behavior than punishing them.
How many parents use inductive discipline?
Nearly 50% of parents in the United States use inductive discipline because they are authoritative parents, and in this parenting style, parents have a healthy relationship with their kids by setting boundaries and limits for them.
How do I use inductive parenting efficiently?
Begin at an early age.
Start using appropriate discipline techniques with your kids when they are 2 years old.
While you use inductive discipline It is important to remember that you should be kind and merciful to your kids by not showing them a grim look or yelling because they should feel safe around you.
Explain why they are being disciplined.
When kids make mistakes, do not rush to discipline them like an authoritarian parent; instead, tell them that they have done bad things and that you have to face this behavior with consequences.
Help your kids to avoid discipline.
Keep valuable things within reach by hiding them so that your kids do not have a chance to do something wrong.
These things are like smartphones, remote controls, hot food, jewelry, etc.
Make them choose their discipline.
When your kids are old enough, try to make them choose how they want to be disciplined, like by not watching TV or not eating desserts.
Do not be too strict.
Kids cannot always abide by your rules, so they will make mistakes from time to time.
To use inductive parenting healthily, try to ignore the small mistakes that your kids make so that they learn how to be forgiving to other people.
Do not discipline when other kids are around.
When your child plays with other kids, they love to do goofy things like pushing or grabbing each other’s hair.
If you see them laughing and being okay with each other, then do not discipline him, even if these actions are not allowed by you.
When you get back home, talk with your kid and explain that what he has done is wrong and should not be repeated again.
Encourage your oldest kid to be an idol for his siblings.
It is a good way to get help from your oldest child to behave well in front of her siblings so that they all learn that good manners are good virtues.
Benefits of inductive parenting for kids
- Kids will not be troublemakers.
- They will achieve higher academic results.
- They become more proud and self-confident.
- Kids will have a better relationship with their parents.
- They will have better manners.
- Kids will be more honest because they respect you.
- Kids become more self-regulated.
Other types of discipline
Parents who do not use inductive discipline tend to use other types, such as:
Power-assertive discipline.
In this type of parental induction, parents will use force to discipline their kids, like pushing, pinching, spanking, or hitting.
This kind of discipline is not allowed at all by many parents and it is even illegal in some countries like the USA, but this approach is used in Eastern countries mostly by authoritarian parents.
Love-oriented discipline.
This approach is characterized by neglecting the kid’s needs or emotions, which makes her feel alone, unloved, and humiliated. This approach is used by uninvolved parents.
What if I have to use physical discipline with my kids?
Parents in stressful situations fail to control their emotions, so they use harsh discipline or punishment with their kids.
Let’s be honest here. Kids are chaotic, especially in public places, so we feel embarrassed, and we tend to force them to stop whatever they are doing.
In case you feel the urge to use physical discipline, do the following:
Do you remember your childhood?
If you have been vulnerable to domestic violence in your childhood because you violated some rules set by your parents, then remember to not repeat the same misery again with your kids and use inductive discipline.
Promise them rewards if they behave.
Before going out with kids, try to promise them that if they behave well, they will be handsomely rewarded, like staying awake for a late hour or using their phones for a longer time, etc.
Let your partner be in control.
Sometimes, it could be useful if you just took a deep breath and stepped back to let your life partner handle stressful situations with kids.
Remember that inductive parenting will protect the kids from trauma and improve your relationship with them.
Regret it if you fail to use parental induction.
It is okay if you make a mistake because we are not perfect, and we do not have to be.
Apologize to your kid while hugging him, and promise not to make this mistake again.
Fortunately, kids are forgiving, and they forget bad things made by us when we make them happy.
What should I do if kids do not care about inductive discipline anymore?
Kids may not care about your parental induction techniques for two reasons:
You keep using the same technique.
As a parent, it is not advisable to use one single technique over and over, like time out, because kids get used to it, and they may break the rules intentionally and discipline themselves.
Change your approach to discipline, like taking away their toys or turning off the TV for a certain time, etc.
You do not use it properly.
If your technique is not effective and you want to keep using it, try to do it for a longer period of time, like switching off the TV for an hour instead of 30 minutes.
How do I react if my partner uses power-assertive discipline?
This stressful situation should be handled wisely by you, so do the following:
Understand why
Maybe your life partner is feeling stressed or exhausted, which is why he had to use this discipline.
Report to other people
When your husband uses physical discipline deliberately, try to get help from someone he respects and cares about because they can help in reasoning with him.
Stand up for your kids.
If nothing works with your husband, do not stand still doing nothing; instead, defend your kids, because this is a thing in every parent’s instinct when facing danger.
Do not act negatively when your kids are being punished, because they will not forgive you for letting them down.
