On the other hand...yesterday I wrote about how relieved I was to learn in a class that disciplining a one-year-old is pretty much an impossibility. However, today, I came back down to Earth, so to speak. Yes, one HAS to discipline a one-year-old, occasionally; because one-year-olds will do things, or try to do things, that put them or someone else in danger.
But what still holds true for me is that the term "discipline" has a very different meaning for someone at this stage of life than for older children. I do believe that the word "No" should be used sparingly, or should be avoided altogether. "Let's try this" or "We need to do this instead"--phrases and actions to distract and distance the little one from the dangerous place or activity are more effective at this point than any number of shouted "No"s. However, when the toddler is on the verge of doing something that puts himself or someone else in jeopardy--I'm not against a firm reprimand and then turning away from him for thirty seconds or a minute.
I say that...but I haven't been able to implement this technique yet. That is, I've tried it, but haven't been consistent. And yes, my son has a couple bad habits that need some form of consistent, mild disciplining to correct. I need to walk the walk with him.
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