Layout 1

Marriage and Family Life: The ParentingYears

psychological reactivity,irritation,and
annoyance in response to both positive
and negative behaviors in their children.
For example,abusive parents seemed to
have unrealistic expectations and perceive
their children as more aggressive,
intentionally disobedient,annoying,and
less intelligent,even when the observer did
not see these differences (Herzog,Gara,&
Rosenberg,2006).

Parenting Effectively:
Ten Principles

Havingoverviewedparentinggoals,
parentingstages,boundarytransitions,and
parentingstyles,weofferthefollowing10
principlesforeffectiveparenting.

Principle 1: Be Consistent

Consistency.Consistency.Consistency.

We cannot stress this enough.The biggest

culprit in child misbehavior is

inconsistency on the parent’s part.When a

parent tells a child to do something,the

parent must make sure the child complies.

The parent must not yell,complain,or

ignore the noncompliance.If the request

is not important enough to see that the

child conforms,the parent should not

assign the task.

Principle 2: Hold Fast to Consequences

Secondonlytoconsistency,childrenmust

faceconsequencesformisbehavior.However,

theyneedtoknowtheconsequencesbefore

Figure 7.2

Victimization by Age Group 2005

Rate Per 1,000 Children

U.S.Department of Health and Human Services,Administration on Children,

Youth and Families,(2007).Child Maltreatment 2005.Washington,DC: U.S.Department of Printing

05101520

Age1–3

Age4–7

Age8–11

Age12–15

Age16–17

Age

group

16.5

13.5

10.9

10.2

6.2

Victimization Rate