Until parent and teen get beneath the surface, let down their defenses, stop interrupting each other and really listen, there can't be much progress in communication, she observes. Marilyn describes a breakthrough that occurred during a recent role play between a teen and his father during an evening workshop. This trainer sees an underlying need for unstructured time when family members can just hang out together. Trainer Marsha Howard recently gave a workshop for about 70 parents who were concerned about discipline and communication with their children. She defines the difference between punishment and discipline.
Punishment is imposed to stop a behavior.
Its effects are usually momentary. Discipline, on the other hand, involves the child experiencing the natural consequences of the behavior. It deals with process and strategy, learning options and making choices. Parents can reinforce school training Barbara Porro says requests for parent trainings usually follow on the heels of the whole school training. Parents need to be able to reinforce what children are learning at school.