There are many different approaches parents can take when it comes to discipline. This podcast leads parents through an approach to guide and discipline in a way that allows for teachable moments that support your child’s development. Parents can build their child’s social and emotional skills through their interactions during and after an inappropriate  behavior. When parents realize that they are the model of behavior for their child, they take the time to calm down before responding, they consider their children’s needs and big feelings, and they allow for logical consequences to take place rather than  imposing consequences that may not naturally occur.

Each time a child chooses an unsafe or inappropriate behavior is an opportunity to teach a vital life skill and cultivate a sense of responsibility. This is how ParentingMontana.org can be so helpful to parents and those in a parenting role -- the website is full of tools, resources, and examples of how parents can build these skills in their children. The Montana Department of Health and Human Services and the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University bring you ParentingMontana.org and this podcast as a way to bolster your child’s social and emotional skill development through guidance and discipline for skill building.

Four key strategies in this podcast guide you through helping your child understand their feelings and grow new skills and behaviors to replace unsafe or inappropriate ones. Those strategies are: identifying unmet needs and your child’s feelings, modeling the skills, focusing on decision making, and intentionally practicing. The skills you and your child build through guidance and discipline for skill building are associated with positive life outcomes such as academic success, emotional wellbeing, and improved work performance