What is the difference between Abuse and Discipline?

At some point or another, all parents need to discipline their children by grounding them or making them go to bed early, or the occasional time out in the corner. However, discipline will sometimes cross the line into being abusive if the child is physically harmed or emotionally berated.

Sometimes a parent can beat their child or scream at them in a way that makes the child very afraid. Parents who know how to remain in the area of discipline only want the best for their kids. They plan to make sure that their child is respectful, productive, and safe.

In the early years, it is all about caring and sharing, while later on, it is about grades and possibly getting into some other kind of trouble. Child abuse is a crime punishable by law, and it includes many different forms of abuse. It is not only about causing harm to the child, and it can even include neglect and sexual abuse.

As a child grows in age, it is important to teach them right from wrong. For example, if they go around hitting others, they must be taught that hitting is not appropriate. This is where discipline comes into play. It is a form of punishment that helps a child differentiate from right and wrong.

This could be taking away their favorite toy, not allowing them to indulge in a favorite snack, or putting them in timeout. Discipline can escalate into abuse , if the disciplinary is intentionally harming the child. A form of abuse could be beating the child until their is bruises on them or not feeding them at all.