Child Welfare Services

Every family has their own way to communicate and deal with problems. Build trust with your child, that way it is easier to communicate and talk about issues. Here's some simple guidelines:

• Keep your promises
• Be honest
• Be consistent about rules. This will build on your child's feeling of security.

Talk honestly about your feelings. Children can tell if you don't mean what you say.

Set Limits

It's natural for children to test their limits. The important thing is to be consistent and not stretch the limits. Children feel secure when they know where the boundaries are.

You can let your children suggest new rules, it will make them feel they are important and that their opinion counts. You can also use "contracts", small written agreements that outline what is expected and spells out what the consequences will be if the children ignore the agreement.

Encouragement and Rules

Encourage good behavior. Don't encourage bad habits. If you give your child candy just to make the whining stop at the grocery store it will encourage the child to do that again. If your child has been acting good give him a hug, kiss or smile.

Be positive when enforcing the rules. Explain why certain kind of behavior is not good. Also, when your child is old enough to understand, explain why the rules exist.

Bedtime

Bedtime can be fun. There really is no trick other than stick to your rules. Set the bedtime and keep it routinely the same. That way your child will learn to know when bedtime is. Do something with your child. Read a book. Write a journal. Set up a routine and follow it each night.

Attention - Behavior

Notice it when your child is being good. Children repeat behaviors that get attention; they give up behaviors that get no attention. Don't acknowledge bad behavior at all if possible. You can use small rewards to give to your child to encourage good behavior.

Discipline

Learning how to effectively discipline your child is important. Discipline is not the same as punishment. Discipline is about teaching your child right from wrong. A few pointers:

• Stay calm
• Avoid too much criticism - be positive
• Be consistent
• Don't argue - just be firm