Beyond spanking – three outside-of-the-box ways to punish your children

While almost every father hopes that his children will be well-behaved, responsible and moral in their actions, the truth is that kids have a bad habit of misbehaving at the worst possible times. If your little ones have acted inappropriately for one reason or another, you may feel that punishment is in order to help them learn from their mistakes. Here are a few ways you can discipline your children without resorting to spanking.

"Volunteering" their time
If your children have somehow violated a relative's hospitality or accidentally destroyed your neighbor's property, you may want to make reparations by having your little ones "volunteer" their time to fix their mess. Doing yardwork for the weekend to pay for a broken window or helping grandma in the garden to compensate for trampled flowers will show your kids that actions have consequences.

Loss of privileges
For those times when your children challenge your leniency and understanding as a parent, a loss of privileges can highlight ungrateful behavior like talking back, throwing a tantrum or lying. By taking away video game controllers or forbidding TV for two weeks, you'll show your kids how lucky they have it living under your roof.

Make it a learning experience
Younger children may not always fully comprehend the reason they are being punished, so twisting discipline into a positive learning experience can be helpful way to deter future misbehavior. For instance, leaving toys around the house for adults to trip over can be resolved with an afternoon teaching the finer points of keeping their playthings neat and organized.