“Come back here!” I called. My daughter run-waddled down the hall, giggling as she left a trail of footprints behind her. She’d escaped the bathroom, naked and dripping wet. I chuckled because what’s cuter than a naked baby? My mom, who’d helped me bathe her, sat exasperated on the bathroom stool, the empty duckie towel in her lap. “She needs to listen to you,” my mom said, giving me a rather stern look. My laughter fell away as I protested, “Oh, Mom. Come on. She’s cute.” My mom shook her head, dismissing me. “You can’t let her run away from you like that.” I heaved a sigh, getting to my feet. I knew she was right. But still.
Having a toddler is hard work. But if you don’t want to have a tougher job when your child’s 5, 10, or 15, now’s the time to establish your rules and boundaries. Start now, and these 5 benefits of disciplining your toddler might make her even cuter as she grows.
1. He’ll learn self-control.
“Did you just bite your sister’s toe?” I asked, stunned. Sitting in her umbrella stroller, my baby shook her foot, tears streaming down her cheeks. I’d seen my toddler crouching to her level in what I’d assumed was a loving examination of her pint-sized piggies. “Why did you do that?” I asked. He shook his head. “I don’t know.”
According to recent research in ScienceDirect, self-control in children is the highest indicator of life satisfaction once they reach adulthood. If kids can learn to control their impulses, there will be fewer behavior problems at home and at school. One of the best ways to do that is consistency with discipline. Your child will eventually learn to curb his impulses on his own.
If kids can learn to control their impulses, there will be fewer behavior problems at home and at school.
2. She’ll learn there are consequences for poor choices.
My daughter sat beneath the kitchen table, a pair of kiddie scissors in one hand, a chunk of hair in the other. “You gave yourself bangs!” I exclaimed, crawling toward her to confiscate the scissors, wondering how she got her hands on them. “Did Mama say you could cut your hair?” I asked.
I had to admit, deciding to cut her hair was kind of cute and so were the results. But a toddler shouldn’t be allowed to cut her own hair! I put her on the timeout step for two minutes. “Consequences,” I told myself as she cried crocodile tears. Instilling that lesson now will make it easier when she’s 7 and considers coloring on her school desk, or 17 when she debates staying out past curfew.
3. He’ll learn strong character traits.
“Tell me the truth,” I said. “Did you eat an Oreo without permission?” My little guy nodded. “Sneaking a cookie isn’t right,” I continued. I told him there’d be no cookies after dinner because of it. I wanted him to learn honesty, so even though his crumb-covered cheeks begged to be kissed, I had to discipline him and wait.
When we discipline our children, they learn our values. Want to teach loyalty? Don’t let him tattle on his sister. Want to teach respect? Don’t let him hit you. Want to teach kindness? Don’t let him pull the dog’s ears. When we work steadily to curb bad behavior, we teach our children how to behave and it sets them up for success down the road.
4. She’ll learn problem-solving skills.
The girl plopped down on the wood chips near the slide and wailed, “Noooo! I don’t want to go!” Her mother tried to coax her to her feet. “We have to go home and have lunch now.” But the little girl crossed her arms and upped the volume. I sympathized with that mom. It would be so easy to say “five more minutes” and try again later, praying for better results. But she didn’t. The mom picked up her child, kicking and screaming, and carried her to the car.
If the mom caved and let her daughter stay, the little girl would learn that pitching a fit solved her problems. But the mom did the right thing. The little girl would have to learn better ways to solve her problems in the future. My guess is, she will.
5. He’ll learn how to stay safe.
My friend’s little boy reached out and pulled his big sister’s hair. Surprised, she turned around. But when she saw him and his toothless grin, she laughed. Encouraged, he did it again. My friend stepped in and took her son’s hand. “No pulling hair,” she said. “That’s not nice.”
A child needs to do what we say because some day, he could get hurt or he could hurt others. What if a child doesn’t stop when he’s about to touch a hot stove? Or, what if he doesn’t learn to curb his tongue, and hurts others by calling names? When we discipline a toddler, he comes to understand boundaries. And that’s safer for everyone.
What methods have worked for you when disciplining a toddler?
