Why Avoid Physical and Psychological Punishment? Successful Alternatives from Positive Parenting

Psychological and physical punishment are considered controversial parenting methods. They were used for many years under the belief that they produce immediate and effective results with children. Over time, however, it became clear that positive parenting is the best approach when dealing with children, as it does not lead to health, psychological, or behavioral problems. Instead, it helps raise a more confident and independent generation. If you would like to learn about the most appropriate alternatives to punishment that ensure a stable relationship between you and your children, follow the article below.

Benefits of Positive Parenting

Using modern parenting methods away from physical and psychological punishment offers many benefits for children, including:

• Children grow up in a healthy way because they live in an environment full of safety, love, and emotional support.

• Children are able to express themselves freely, which helps build an independent personality.

• Positive parenting increases a child’s self-confidence and self-respect, as well as respect for their parents.

• Children become more capable of making the right decisions.

• Family life becomes more stable without pressure or constant conflict.

• Children’s skills develop, leading to greater academic success.

• Social skills improve, making children more able to communicate effectively with others.

Alternatives to Physical Punishment for Children

It has become essential to rely on positive parenting and move away from methods that involve violence and physical punishment, replacing them with alternative approaches such as:

• Reinforcing positive behaviors by rewarding and praising the child, which builds confidence in their good behavior.

• Temporarily changing the child’s location to distance them from the source of negative behavior.

• Talking with the child and agreeing on a set of rules before going to a certain place, and rewarding them for following the agreement.

• Providing a safe and comfortable environment, as an overtired child is more likely to display negative behaviors.

• Setting clear rules so the child can act accordingly and feel secure and stable.

• Remaining consistent with rules, avoiding exceptions, and clearly explaining the consequences of behaviors.

• Ignoring some minor negative behaviors so the child does not gain attention from them.

• Giving the child some time away from stimulation to calm down, then discussing and guiding them.

• Allowing the mother to take a moment to calm herself through deep breathing before responding, to avoid overreacting.

• Redirecting the child’s attention to other activities and distracting them from negative behavior.

• Showing empathy, understanding the child’s feelings, and speaking calmly so the child feels loved despite their mistake.

• Using simple language when giving instructions and ensuring the child understands them clearly.

• Negotiating with the child about appropriate consequences for mistakes so they learn responsibility for their actions.

Why Physical and Psychological Punishment Should Be Avoided

The effectiveness of positive parenting has been proven, making it essential to avoid physical and psychological punishment due to its serious negative effects on children, especially in the long term, including:

• Causing physical and emotional pain to the child.

• Negatively affecting brain development.

• Leading to psychological problems such as anxiety, stress, and depression.

• Creating emotional instability and low self-confidence.

• Increasing the likelihood of addiction, aggressive behavior, crime, and even suicidal tendencies later in life.

• Contributing to academic delay and school failure.

Positive Parenting With Benaat

As positive parenting has become a distinguished and beneficial parenting approach, the Benaat platform offers mothers a specialized course in positive parenting. Through this course, parents learn how to be positive role models for their children and how to provide a safe and supportive environment that helps contain children emotionally and raise them properly.

The Positive Parenting Course also focuses on developing children’s balanced personalities and strengthening Islamic moral values, while offering effective strategies to deal with common parenting challenges from a comprehensive Islamic perspective.

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