Children's Behavioral Incentive @senseicat

I know that each child is very unique and has different genetic predisposition and personality characteristics. From a very young age, I struggled with the idea of disciplining my child and favored positive reinforcement for good behavior rather than imposing a consequences.

I remember when he was a toddler and I would put him in a timeout chair for a few minutes and for some reason it was excruciatingly difficult for me as I am overly empathetic towards his sad face. As he has grown older, I will send him to his room to give him quiet time to think about what happened and to readjust his behavior.

In our case, I noticed that my son responds much more favorably to positive incentives. For example, if you read, then you can have a playdate with your friends.

This morning, I spoke to one of my dearest friends and she told her son that if he gets straight A's, he will get the prized cell phone and it worked beautifully. Thought admittedly, once we introduce those electronics into their little hands, we end up spending more time taking them away.

My predominant method is to reward my son for something that he accomplishes to reinforce good behavior. I always say that his number one job is to be a student so luckily he set himself a high goal and accomplished it. As a result, he was rewarded each quarter with his favorite meal, a fun family celebratory outing, and a small financial reward towards saving for college.

What are your most effective parenting strategies?