Discipline is commonly misunderstood. As parents, we may each take a different approach to discipline. This may include punishment, correction, and/or guidance.

Consider the following questions:

• Do you find yourself arguing with your child?
• Do you often correct him or her?
• Do you make your child promise not to do something again?
• Do you fight with your child a lot?
• Do you sometimes respond with a large punishment for a relatively minor misbehavior?
• Do you ever threaten actions you know you won't carry out?
• Do you say things to your child that you later regret?
• Do you repeat instructions several times?
• Do you give in to your child's demands?
• Do you find that the more you punish, the more your child misbehaves?

If you answered "YES" to most of these questions, you're definitely using punishment with your kids. Don't worry - you're not alone. The use of punishment is common.