Do you feel uncomfortable taking care of and disciplining other people's children?
Disciplining other children can be a hassle on all parties: you, the disciplined child, and his or her parents.
Where do you draw the line of when to enforce your rules and when to just stay back?
If you are in charge of taking care of someone else’s child for the day (at a birthday party, for example) only some behaviors need intervention.
If the child is running around with scissors, as an adult you have an obligation to stop him or her from behaving this way, for his or her safety and for the safety of others.
What about those behaviors that you just don’t agree with because of how you’re used to raising your own kids?
In that case, Lawrence Kutner, Ph.D gives 3 guidelines you should follow:
One of the guidelines is to remember that large groups of children (again, such as during birthday parties) require different tactics…
A visiting child who is out of control when [he or she is] part of a group will have a great deal of trouble regaining her composure unless [he or she is] physically removed from that setting. It’s often useful to take the child to a different room and give [him or her] something quiet to do…if that doesn’t work, don’t punish the child…Instead, call the parents and tell them that their child is having a hard time handling the activities.
This way, you’re giving the child’s parents a heads up about what’s going on, so that if you do decide to enforce your own rules, you’ve already given the other parents a reason for doing so.
How do you discipline other children? Do you think it’s a good idea to intervene and enforce your own rules, or do you leave the child be?
Insights For Parents: Disciplining Other People’s Children [DrKutner]
