First off, the book Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky is amazing. Yes, it has its dark moments and depressing scenes, but I absolutely loved it. But that's beside the point. The point for this long overdue post is finding a punishment that fits the crime. Throughout literature (since I'm an English major), authors have presented sinners paying for their faults in fitting means. Dante Alghieri's Divine Comedy, most specifically his Inferno, depicts numerous sufferings that vary depending on the specific sin. Gluttony punished by swimming in putrid and rotting food. I would not recommend this book for children. It's a bit dark and scary. A happy alternative, however, is Tomi dePaola's enchanting story Strega Nona. This tale tells of how Big Anthony uses Strega Nona's magical pasta pot but cannot turn it off. His punishment is to eat all of the pasta he created. Needless to say, Big Anthony did not ever touch Strega Nona's pot again.
When your child requires discipline, it is often ineffective to simply use the same level of punishment for all their misdemeanors. Failure to clean their room vs. being disrespectful to your authority are on different scales, generally. If you simply send them to their room for everything, they won't learn that various actions have various consequences. The specific example I have in mind is when your child loses something important, such as their art class paintbrushes or soccer cleats. There are a few steps that should be taken in these cases, and a very motivating punishment as well.
1. The child should look for the missing item. Scour the house. Dig under their bed. You may help them search, but do not do all the work for them.
2. If the item is not found, make the child pay for it (or at least part.) Having to part with even a small amount of hard-earned money will burn the lesson into their minds. They will be extra careful with their possessions and take special care not to lose them again.
3. Oftentimes, the threat of having to pay themselves for the missing items increases the determination to find the lost thing ten-fold. Good luck! And you can, of course, always pray to St. Anthony, patron of lost causes.
1. Don't grab the stick, sharp object, etc. that a child has if you are trying to get it away from them. You may very well get sliced fingers in the process. Come up with alternative punishment when the "Put it back" statement is ignored.
2. Holding a sleeping baby is a beautiful balm for loneliness.
3. If you touch really hot chicken nuggets too many times, your fingers will eventually lose all sense of heat. Therefore, ask the kids if their lunch is actually warm enough before serving it to them.
4. It is much easier to keep children happy if you simply have to entertain them. When they are required to actually work (such as do school), the task becomes more difficult.
5. If you choose to give the child two options, make the one you want them to pick highly more desirable than the other. Example: You can either clean up your toys, OR I can pick them up and throw them in the garbage can to be taken to the dump and rot away into nothing.
6. Children have a very innocent and charming way of viewing life. Example: Your birthday is on Friday; therefore, you get the day off, right?
7. When picking children up from school, bring food. It helps appease them immediately.
8. Watching movies from your own childhood helps the de-stressing immensely.
9. You're never too old to re-learn your elementary lessons. Example: I am still baffled by diagramming sentences, although it is becoming clearer since I am attempting to teach them to a child.
10. Getting up earlier may seem like a drag at first; however, once you are up and running, you will feel a lot better.
11. It is really easy to spend a lot of money in the movie department.
12. The hand-made gifts and drawings from children close to your heart brighten your day considerably. When received, make sure to hang them prominently so that when you're feeling down, you can look at them and smile.
13. Buy a dry-erase calendar. It's very useful for a busy and fluctuating schedule.
14. Having access to a microwave is almost indispensable.
15. You can do anything you put your mind to, even if you don't think you can.
16. If you act like the schoolwork is way tougher than it actually is, most kids will buy in to the bluff and laugh off what you think is "hard." Trust me, it works! "Don't freak out! Are you sure you can handle this? It looks really hard." "Of course, I can." Generally accompanied with a look of shock and disbelief that you think this is "hard."
17. It is amazing how quickly a clean room becomes messy.
18. Buckets for toys are amazing inventions. As are shelves upon which to place the buckets.
19. Listening to music can be very relaxing. It also makes housework more endurable.
20. Silly Bands do have a purpose! They can be used to keep kitchen cupboard doors closed.
21. Every family faces its own problems. Each parent chooses their own battles. If you become a nanny, it's best to figure out which battles the parents fight, and follow their lead. It helps a lot when you are all working together.
22. Setting a budget may seem daunting, but it is a highly useful and effective tool. I highly recommend it.
First off, the book Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoyevsky is amazing. Yes, it has its dark moments and depressing scenes, but I absolutely loved it. But that's beside the point. The point for this long overdue post is finding a punishment that fits the crime. Throughout literature (since I'm an English major), authors have presented sinners paying for their faults in fitting means. Dante Alghieri's Divine Comedy, most specifically his Inferno, depicts numerous sufferings that vary depending on the specific sin. Gluttony punished by swimming in putrid and rotting food. I would not recommend this book for children. It's a bit dark and scary. A happy alternative, however, is Tomi dePaola's enchanting story Strega Nona. This tale tells of how Big Anthony uses Strega Nona's magical pasta pot but cannot turn it off. His punishment is to eat all of the pasta he created. Needless to say, Big Anthony did not ever touch Strega Nona's pot again.
When your child requires discipline, it is often ineffective to simply use the same level of punishment for all their misdemeanors. Failure to clean their room vs. being disrespectful to your authority are on different scales, generally. If you simply send them to their room for everything, they won't learn that various actions have various consequences. The specific example I have in mind is when your child loses something important, such as their art class paintbrushes or soccer cleats. There are a few steps that should be taken in these cases, and a very motivating punishment as well.
