Natural Consequences Are Best For Gifted Children, But Why?
As a parent, it is your responsibility to provide and teach your children practical skills to deal with life situations in the future. It becomes increasingly important when your child is gifted. Usually, most parents think that it is ideal to incorporate discipline through the punishment and reward model; however, if you ask us, the strategy – natural consequences, are best for gifted children. Here’s why.
How Is “Natural Consequences” The Best Way To Discipline Gifted Children?
You need to assert that the rules in your household are meant to be followed and not broken. Children are bound to test your boundaries, but behaving harshly will not take you anywhere. Instead, we suggest you opt for a natural, logical consequence to make them understand the concept of rules.
“Natural consequences” is the best strategy because your gifted child/children will learn a lesson on their own rather than you teaching anything. A natural consequence is a positive disciplinary method; however, it may seem elusive to many parents.
It is one of the toughest decisions to let your child make a bad choice and suffer later from it. What’s worse is to not start lecturing the moment you see something happening; a very difficult sight indeed.
But when applied properly, this strategy is the best lesson for your children to learn from. They will get understand the concept behind action and reaction.
There are two types of consequences, both positive and negative, that can teach children new behaviors.
Examples of Natural Consequences
One of the first few things that you must instill in your child is to take care of their belongings. If your child leaves a toy for example “skates” outside the house after playing, you do not have to scream, yell or even ask to get it back in.
In this kind of teaching behavior, you let your child suffer the consequence. The skate may get misplaced, rained upon, etc. That is when your child will realize that leaving it out in the open was a bad idea and will not do it again.
Another common issue is getting their homework done. It is important to make your child realize that not completing tasks can result in big troubles. You may get tempted to dictate to your ward to do it on time or make sure they submit it, but don’t.
They should grasp the fact that they are solely responsible for their academic well-being. If your child forgets the notebook on the kitchen counter, you leave it there and let your child suffer the repercussion of not being mindful.
However, if the forgetfulness is recurrent, you can help by keeping a note on the fridge or the bathroom/bedroom mirror so that it does not happen.
On the flip side, this methodology is ineffective for children with ADHD. If your child suffers from this condition, our best bet is to help inculcate the use of repeated reminders or checklists.
Do not try to rescue your child; it is unnecessary and will do more bad than good. Let them make their mistakes and learn from that experience.
What We Do at Rainard
At Rainard, we let children discover the world through natural consequences. Leaving the useless power struggles behind and helping them realize that we are here to help. They naturally understand that we are supporters and work with them for their benefit.