This is always a hard subject to talk about with other Mum’s. It seems we all have firm ideas on discipline so it is often a taboo subject for fear of offending or upsetting others.

I always had firm ideas on discipline. When I was younger I would always say I would never hit my children and I used to look down on parents who did. Since becoming a parent I now have a new understanding on the subject. While we do not smack in our house (yet … ) I do understand how and why parents do.

My little one is only 12 months old and even at this age he is learning to push his limits with my patience. We have a baby playpen  around our tv cabinet to stop little fingers pushing buttons or pulling the tv over. Cooper loves to stand up at the gate and he rocks it back and forward so it will bang on the wall. I tell him stop and he hears me, I see it in his eyes that he knows what stop or no means. He does it again and my voice repeats the command, the third time I get of my chair as I say stop and he plonks to the ground and cries. He knows I will get up and he knows if he cries it will pull at my heart strings and he wont be in trouble. The strange thing is he has never been smacked before or even spoken to harshly, the most he will recieve is a firm no or stop and if he continues we will remove him from the situation and ignore the behaviour. I am still unsure where he has gained his knowledge to fall to the ground and cry as soon as I get off the couch, when only 3 seconds before it was a fun game?

We are still undecided on the discipline we are going to use as he gets older and I am sure we will work it out along the way. We are both not supporters of physical discipline, however sometimes I am sure there is no other alternative. That is a bridge we will have to cross when we come to it.

I would love to hear some of your thoughts on discipline, so please leave me a comment!

Jen xx