It needs to be reiterated that we at The Great Equalizer do not know what the fuck we’re doing. So when we decided to chat about discipline in our latest episode, we did not go into it with the illusion that our kids aren’t assholes. Quite the opposite, actually. In the back of our minds, we’re sussing out their little personalities to figure out what kind of felony they might commit in future and how best to prevent that from happening.

In terms of discipline, we are fully aware of the cold, cold winter that lies before us. And so, in fearing for our general wellbeing, we brought in a heavyweight to show us the way.

For more than thirty years educational psychologist and parenting expert Dereck Jackson – a father and grandfather himself – has been guiding parents and educators in child rearing. He has published three books during this time, ‘Discipline Without Anger or Tears – a manual for teachers and school principals’; ‘Parent Burnout’; and ‘Parenting with Panache’.

Ah, Dereck. How grateful we are for your sage advice. Honestly, this interview yielded several pearls of wisdom. And though Dereck is currently two years shy of 80, his teachings are still so relevant to modern-day parents.

Have a listen to the episode to hear what Dereck has to say about when to start disciplining your child, how to deal with public temper tantrums, and whether or not or to spank your child. He also chats about the importance of positive reinforcement and offers some rules to live by for every household.

According to Dereck, while assertiveness and consistency are the keys to effective discipline, having some basic household rules in place makes discipline even easier to implement:

1. The parents are in charge.

2. There is a time to go to bed at night and a time to get up in the morning.

3. There is a time to eat.

4. There is a time to tidy up after you have untidied.

5. There is a time to do your homework (once your child is at school).

6. There is a time to bath or shower.

7. Parents must be spoken to with respect.

Dereck describes these as the basic tenets of a functional family – the first stepping stone, if you will, to cracking the discipline code.

Parenting isn’t as hard as it’s cracked up to be but it isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be – Dereck Jackson

GIVEAWAY

We’re giving away a copy of Dereck’s latest book, ‘Parenting with Panache’ to a listener in need. All you have to do to stand a chance to win is drop us an email telling us that you’re in need of some disciplinary action ;) Okay, this is just a ruse to get you to email us because… WE LOVE MAIL. Seriously. But also, we want you to have some more peace of mind that you’re going about this more or less the right way.

Ts and Cs below.

No one said it was going to be easy, folks. Nevertheless, if this is something you’re struggling with right now, we see you.

We salute you.

You are doing a great job.

Ts & Cs:

Our ‘Parenting with Panache’ competition will run until 31 December 2018. The winner will be announced within a couple of days from that via Facebook and Instagram after the winner is notified personally. Recent winners of The Great Equalizer giveaways will not be legible to win in a six-month time frame. The Great Equalizer will facilitate the prize handover. Entrants must be based in South Africa. Now go spread the word! Good luck.

DISCIPLINE! How to ensure your kid does not end up in jail