The Secret to Getting Your Kid to Do What You Want

If you’ve done these four steps and your child continues to misbehave, you may need to punish her. Don’t resort to hitting or yelling. Instead, come up with a solution that takes your child’s age into consideration. For a younger child, give her a timeout (about one minute per year of your child’s age) so that she can reflect on her actions. For an older child, temporarily take away a privilege (such as a cell phone). Explain your reasoning for the punishment, and be sure to praise your child when her behavior improves.