Children are likely to become confused and angry if they are punished for copying something their parents have done to them. They need parents to show them what to do. Changing behavior to serve as a better example for children is an important discipline strategy. Sometimes misbehavior is a test of a parent's commitment to enforcing rules. Children may disobey to test their parents' reactions and probe the boundaries of their limits.
Children respect parents who provide reasonable but firm limits, backed by firm and fair responses.
Parents who are indifferent to setting limits or bully their children to force obedience undermine this respect. They are asserting themselves and their independence Children may misbehave because they want to assert themselves and their growing independence. The tiny person stands with jaw jutted out, feet firmly planted on the floor as her giant of a father towers over her. Her resistance is significant for two reasons. First, this spirited child is telling the parent that she believes she is important.