Parents, guardians, and teachers have always debated this over the years: Should children be punished for bad behavior or rewarded for good behavior? There is no certain answer to this question because every family, teacher, or culture has what works best for them. Most people argue that discipline builds character and prepares the child for the future, while some believe that when you reward a child, it helps bring out the best in the child.
One thing about kids is they are too observant; they learn very fast. Most of the things they display are what they learn from adults. That is why it is very important that you, as an adult, should be on your best behavior when you are with kids because these kids observe the way you respond to both good and bad behavior, and it plays a vital role in shaping the kids' values, future, and decisions.
There is nothing bad in rewarding kids; it is a way to encourage them to be at their best behavior, or it will motivate them to do more. For instance, when a child is praised for helping someone in need, being honest, or taking academics seriously, they will like to do more because they receive words of encouragement, and they will see it as their responsibility to be good to people. I have come to understand that these little kids are angels, and they learn very fast.
A reward must not always be a material thing; to be honest, kids value attention and praise more than money and toys. There is one tip I learned from my aunt many times: she doesn't reward her kids with money or buy material things for them. Whenever you use this word on her kids, I am very proud of you, my children. You need to see how happy these kids are; immediately they will rush and kiss their mom. She made them understand that their effort is noticed and appreciated. Sometimes they do things without their mom giving them instructions to do so because they want to make Mama happy.
The moment a child begins to expect a prize every time they behave well, they will only act well when there is a reward; it will be very hard for them to develop values because they are only motivated by rewards. There is probably a chance that when the reward is no longer coming, their good behavior will disappear.
Discipline is very important; it helps the child understand that every action they take has consequences. It helps the kids to have value; a child teaches them accountability. A child who knows that there are consequences for every wrong they do will think carefully before misbehaving. We always think that punishment is about causing pain. Punishment is not about fear and humiliation. One thing about harsh discipline is it will stop a behavior temporarily; there is a possibility of it creating resentment. The child may be afraid to express themselves due to fear of an adult. Discipline is all about teaching.
The presence of rewards can affect punishment, or vice versa. Yes, if an adult only punishes mistakes and never appreciates good behavior, such a child will have the impression that they are not good enough. They keep hearing criticism instead of encouragement, which is very wrong.
If an adult only rewards kids for behaving well and fails to address unacceptable actions from them, such a child can never understand values; they will struggle to understand limits. They will grow up with the mindset that everything they do or every action they carry out deserves praise.
It is very important we find balance between the two, which is combining both reward and punishment.
All images is generated with ChatGPT
This is my entry on the ongoing weekly content #hivelearners #hl-w226e1 topic, punishments or rewards.
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