Not shouting at your children can be hard when they are driving you mad!

Not shouting at your children (at least too often!) is a good habit to get into. They will learn to turn a deaf ear to you. It is an aggressive act and we only need to imagine how we would feel if our boss yelled at us to see what effect it can have!

Discipline without shouting or spanking can sometimes seem impossible. But if you have shouted or spanked your child before, did it really stop the behavior? Maybe it did at that point, but in the longer term it is likely that the behavior was repeated.

Parent anger can be frightening to children but also for most parents! Usually, parents feel guilty and bad about themselves if they have given in to their frustrations and lashed out. Most parents want to find other ways to deal with bad behavior.

One technique of anger management for parents is not shouting, but to simply walk away. Go into another room. Breathe regularly and deeply, shut your ears to any noise, and wait until you feel calm again. If you find that your children follow you, go to the bathroom and lock yourself in for a few minutes! You will find that giving yourself that break will help you be calm when you go back to your children. Remember - the occasional yell will have more effect if it is absolutely necessary, and it does no harm for your children to know that you are human!

Once you have made friends you can apologise, and talk about their behaviour and why it made you angry. Make sure they understand you were angry at what they did, NOT at who they are.

Children (and adults) are quick to label themselves as 'bad' or 'stupid'. Always criticise their behaviour, not them personally, and make sure they understand that as well.