They have been rewarded for their misbehavior Children may misbehave because they have been rewarded for the behavior. Every child needs to be noticed. Sometimes the only way children can get their busy parents' attention is to disobey. If their parents give them attention for misbehaving then that misbehavior will increase. Children who feel overlooked will misbehave to get any kind of parent attention, even if it means being yelled at, ridiculed, or even spanked.
Punishment is a reward for attention starved children.
When she does, her mother becomes angry, picks Cindy up and places her in a kitchen chair for a time out. Unfortunately, this exhausted parent has little time to spend with her daughter. She rarely plays with her, or reads to her, or takes time to sit and talk. Parents who accidentally reward their children's misbehavior teach them there is a payoff for disobedience. Prevention and guidance are preferable to punishment for children who misbehave for attention.