Do you find yourself shouting at you child every morning because he/ she dawdling in the shower, taking their own sweet time to finish breakfast or when you are trying to get everyone out the door on time?

If you do, then it’s important to talk to them about what you can do to make things go more smoothly.

Come up with a strategy that attacks the problem from the root, it may mean waking up 15 minutes early or using a timer to remind them when they need to be out of the shower, a timer that reminds them that they have only a limited time to finish their breakfast.

You could also get them to have a shower the night before so you are relaxed in the morning. You could also make sure that their uniforms are laid out for them and school bags are ready and waiting at the door the previous night.

Please involve your child in creating the plan, as they are more likely to participate in and feel encouraged to execute it.

It is nearly impossible never to shout at your child. Everyone has bad days. Parents shouldn’t be too hard on themselves if they scream at their children from time to time. “Parenting is the most challenging role you can take on in life and most of us have no prior experience or knowledge.

The good news is that if you slip up you can fix it. Stop yourself and find another way to say the same thing. We need to change the way we look at our children and their behaviour. They don’t wake up every morning with a cunning plan to create bad behaviour. We need to see our children as little people who need help in understanding themselves and their behaviour.

Study says shouting is as harmful as hitting in disciplining kids.

Research has shown us that shouting at a child produces fear and resentment, not cooperation. Research also shows us that children shouldn’t be forced to behave perfectly all the time; they need to misbehave or disobey so they can learn.

The word “discipline” means the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour.

When you teach a child to be disciplined you teach them to have self-control. You are teaching them to be well-behaved.

If you shout at your child, you either create somebody who shouts back at you or somebody who is shamed and retreats,” said Meghan Leahy, a mother of three and a parenting coach in Northwest Washington. “You’re either growing aggression or growing shame. Those are not characteristics that any parents want in their kids.”

When you raise your voice at your child the message that you are giving is not that of love. It surely does not convey “I love you, you’re a great child” “You’re usually saying something negative, and ripping down their self-esteem.”

If you want to develop a sense of discipline in your child you should use a firm, calm and have a compassionate tone, which will allow for your child’s brain to remain open and learn. When there is adrenalin as a result of fear from being shouted at, its limits their capacity of thinking.

Most young children act out at some point or the other. It’s no bad thing and it’s not wrong either. In fact, it is called being children and it’s not something they should be made to feel guilty and punished for. However, children do need limits, boundaries, rules, and teaching but they also need understanding, empathy, and love.