Should You Help a Parent Struggling with Discipline?

One thing that worked with me when I was sensitive to criticism about my parenting was when the other person had 'proof' to back up what they were saying. Like when I used to spank (I haven't hit my children in 9 years, yay!) folks saying, "Oh hitting your kids is wrong" just made no impression on me. But folks telling me that hitting children causes long-term emotional damage to them, here's the research done that verifies this made a huge impression. When you come across a parent struggling with discipline issues, it might be helpful to explain or show them info about why physical discipline has a negative impact on their child's emotional and psychological health.

They may also have no idea about what is and is not age appropriate for children. Many intelligent, educated, well-meaning, and kind-spirited parents don't understand this and it totally distorts how they view their child and what they feel their child is capable of. I have seen parents allow a 3-year old bathe unsupervised, parents allow a 12-year old to date a 16-year old, and parents not allow an 8 year old to dress themselves. Some parents truly don't know how to make make age-appropriate decisions regarding their child because no one ever explained this to them.

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