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I am a firm believer in being consistent to be kind. Not that I'm perfect in this. Who is? It's tough to parent the same at home, at the shops, at church and at the grandparents house! But consistent parenting is without doubt the best thing for your children the more you are able to achieve this.
Imagine the speed limit changed depending on the mood of the traffic policeman. How confusing!
Our poor kids are trying their best to read us like a book, but sometimes the book may as well be written in Greek! It can be very unsettling to be allowed to get away with something several times and then all of a sudden having your parent flip their lid and blow up because they just can't take it anymore.
A three year old who cries for an ice-cream today, and gets what they want, and cries for an ice-cream tomorrow and gets yelled at for being such a brat, is a very confused and probably scared little kid.
On the other hand, a child who is consistently expected to be obedient immediately, listen first time, ask nicely without whining, and treat others kindly, feels safe and secure in the knowledge of her boundaries.
Consistency takes hard work - but no one has ever said parenting was easy. If you want to be a great parent then you need to work hard at this. It means getting out of your comfy chair and going to the next room to deal with an argument you've overheard. It means finding a bathroom in the middle of a shopping centre to give a spanking.
On the other hand, consistent parenting makes life a whole lot easier. Your children know what to expect, and they know that they will not get away with nonsense, so they are a lot more obedient a lot of the time. That makes taking them out in public less likely to be embarrassing - provided they know that it's business as usual when they're in public as well. Their disobedience will receive the same consequences as always.
Consitent Parenting
