Kiwi parents say positive discipline works

The Families Commission says its latest report on preschool discipline methods shows positive parenting techniques work for ordinary kiwi families.

Chief commissioner Jan Pryor said the results were encouraging and showed parents tried hard to use techniques they thought were effective.

“Parents told us they preferred to use positive reinforcement with their kids because that is what they think works best.”

Researchers Julie Lawrence and Anne B Smith asked the families to record their discipline practices in parenting diaries for the report.

Parents were three times more likely to use positive reinforcement, praise and affirmation rather than punishment.

When parents did use punishment they were most likely to use “time out” or withdrawal of privileges, with smacking as a last resort.

Most parents were firm but fair in their style of parenting, as opposed to totally authoritarian or permissive said Ms Pryor.

“The majority of parents surveyed say discipline is about getting their children to behave in a socially acceptable way.

“There is also an encouraging indication in this report that our family violence messages, alongside positive parenting information and support, are helping parents find techniques that work for them.”

Support included wider family, friends, written material, and professionals such as early childhood teachers, doctors and Plunket nurses.

The majority of caregivers had three or more support people but some parents had little or none, making it harder for them to positively parent.

The Families Commission-funded report involved interviews with 117 parents from 100 families, and investigated the discipline strategies used by today’s families with their pre-school children.

The study surveyed 98 mothers, 16 fathers, and three grandparents, 10 per cent of whom were M?ori. The families had an average household income of $50,000 – $60,000.