Punishment can become abusive. Parents who punish often or severely create more problems than they solve. A relationship based primarily on punishment undermines children's respect for authority. Continued punishment may gain children's compliance at the cost of their self-worth. Reasonable consequences, however, can be part of an effective discipline strategy.
Reasonable consequences are responses to deliberate wrongdoing.
Such consequences do not have to occur frequently, nor do they have to be severe. While guidance provides the tools for teaching children important values and skills, reasonable consequences reduce the frequency of a misbehavior. To work, consequences must be swift and firm, unpleasant but not excessive. The baby begins crying. Big sister has been warned about pinching before and knows she has done something wrong.