Safety Misbehaviour

Running out of the house or yard
The rule
"Don't go outside," or "Don't leave the yard." Until age 3 or 4 most children can't be trusted to stay in their yards. They may wander off and may be harmed on a street or railroad track, or in a pond or swimming pool.

Discipline technique
Structure your child's environment so that you do not have to supervise her to prevent this misbehaviour. Lock the outside doors to keep children inside. Leave them outside alone only if you have a safe, fenced-in yard.

The rule
"Stay on the sidewalk or path when you're walking with me," and "Hold my hand when we cross the street."

Discipline technique
If your child starts to run off, catch her immediately. Make this a very serious matter and tell her sternly, "Never run off again." Don't let your child tease you about this, or allow running off to become a game. Say firmly, "That's not funny."

If your child repeats running off, routinely hold her hand when you go walking. If this is unsuccessful, take a children's harness with you when you go walking. The harness can be put on if your child breaks the rule and taken off after about 5 minutes. If your child breaks the rule a second time, the harness can be put on for 10 minutes. Using a harness occasionally is harmless.

Praise
Praise your child for staying close to you.

Model
Cross streets carefully.

Chewing on electrical cords, playing with electrical outlets, turning the knobs on the stove.

The rule
"Never touch that, because you can get hurt."

Discipline technique
Give your child strong verbal disapproval. Don't let this behaviour become something your child can tease you about. Also, put your child in time-out. Some of these hazards can be eliminated by using safety plugs or rerouting electrical cords. Since chewing on an electrical cord can cause severe burns to the mouth, you may wish to underscore your special concern about this behaviour by slapping your child once on the hand.

The rule
"Don't play with matches. They can start fires."

Discipline technique
Remove all matches from your child's reach. Consider teaching your child how to use matches properly after age 8.

Model
Use matches appropriately.

"Don't climb trees or fences, because you can fall and be seriously hurt." You might specify that your child can climb certain trees after reaching an appropriate age, such as 6.

Discipline technique
Time-out. To help your child through this phase, consider designating a safe place to practice climbing, such as on an old sofa or a jungle gym at the playground.

"We don't drive unless everyone is buckled up."

Discipline technique
Immediate time-out. Don't start the car until all passengers have buckled their seat belts. As soon as anyone unbuckles, pull your car off the road into a boring place, such as a parking lot. Read a book until your child puts the seat belt on. Children usually want to go somewhere rather than sit in the car.

Praise
Praise your child for keeping her seat belt buckled.

Model
Buckle yourself in.

"Obey the bicycle safety rules."

Discipline technique
Logical consequences of not being able to use the bike for 2 or 3 days.

Praise
Praise your child for riding a bike safely.

Model
Use your bicycle safely and wear your helmet.