Parenting has changed quite a bit over the years. The basic equation between kids and parents is indeed a special one, but today, it requires both parties to sort of come to a middle ground in order to achieve and sustain a harmonious bond. As the more mature lot, parents are of course expected to go more than half way to make sure their kid(s) is comfortable with the home equation.

The modern day poses a delicate situation when it comes to ‘discipline’. Over the years, the world has accepted more liberal ways of parenting, and that’s great for many kids who faced the negative aspects of discipline. However, some amount of discipline, when approached in a healthy manner, can be great for a kid’s growth and development. This is why it is key for modern parents to adapt and evolve into a role of a nurturer who perfectly blends the world of discipline and freedom.

Parents must move away from traditional forms of reinforcing discipline and taking corrective actions, which could be anything from punishing the kid and banning certain privileges. Instead, they should try and find the root cause as to why the kid didn’t behave as expected, and try to hear him or her out – this is a crucial step, because the child gets a chance to be expressive. Every kid needs to be made to feel valuable and hence parents can also be a friend to their child when the situation calls for it.

The more this bond of friendship blooms, the better the relationship is bound to be as the years go by. Rather than parents taking an authoritarian approach to discipline, they should spend more time connecting with their kid at a human level – this may just open up a new world of possibilities for a more humane form of discipline.

It is a typical young blood trait to rebel against anything that is forced upon, and that is why traditional discipline will not work at this day and age. In fact, it will actually foster more rebels and push kids to the other aloof extreme, which is also a problem.

A healthy balance of discipline and freedom coupled with the right approach to communicating with your kid can go very far in securing a wonderful growing experience for your child. It will also make it easier for them to express themselves easily to you, and that is something you’ll forever be grateful for.