The Parenting Balance: Rewards, Discipline, and Raising Responsible Children

When it comes to children's upbringing, a lot of parents are unsure of the right way to go about raising their kids, and I can't really blame them because there's no manual on the best approach, and each of the guides people have written concerning these matters has its own flaws. But then in regard to giving rewards for good behaviours by kids and punishment for bad ones, which is the best one to do, or should one of the approaches just be chosen? If that is done, won't it affect how such a child grows? Below I'd respond to all these and other related questions to the best of my knowledge.

To start with, talking about a rewards system being put in place when children do the right thing, to be honest, I totally agree with such initiatives and things; it should be encouraged because, just like every human, when you're rewarded for doing something, you'll feel motivated to do more. It's a good way to stimulate humans. Also, we know now that as children they don't know how this world operates yet and are at our mercy as parents and adults to lead them on how things are done or should be done, so when we see them do just that, rewarding them for a job well done or behaviour well exhibited would help them know the right thing to do and stick to it.

On the other hand, when it comes to punishing children for doing something bad, I don't believe it's bad either, and that's because punishment helps one come to the realisation that what they did is wrong and, beyond that, it's also unacceptable. Although I don't buy the ideal of just punishing children for every offence they commit, we must first start by telling them what they did is wrong and go further to state the reasons why such is wrong; this will make them aware of the situation, and if at all they did what you've corrected them about in the past, then you can go ahead to punish them so they can understand the gravity of the situation and know that doing such is a non-negotiable thing.

Now, if one of such should be removed, which should it be when raising children? Personally I don't think anyone should be removed, and that's because I believe both play a vital role in child upbringing and parenting styles. However, we must look for ways to strike a balance between them, making sure none of it is overdone or placed above the other. When you punish a child, it should be minimal; not all misdeeds warrant punishment, and not all good deeds overdo them. Children will get used to it and may not want to do good deeds again because you don't reward them, and when you punish them always, they get used to it and adapt to the effect of such punishment.

What about you? What parenting styles do you think is good between both, is it reward system or purnishment one, or a combination of both?.

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