Children always seem to find a way to 'push our buttons' at times and really try the patience. It's easy to feel irritated, sad, angry, annoyed, confused and hurt. It's at these times when our parenting skills are really tested, and that it's imperative we maintain a kind however firm stance when it comes to doling out the discipline. And let's face it - none of us ever want to hurt our child with physical or verbal abuse. We want to teach our child that such things are wrong, and punishing a misdeed or improper action by yelling or hitting is hypocritical at best.

Children always seem to find a way to 'push our buttons' at times and really try the patience. It's easy to feel irritated, sad, angry, annoyed, confused and hurt. It's at these times when our parenting skills are really tested, and that it's imperative we maintain a kind however firm stance when it comes to doling out the discipline. And let's face it - none of us ever want to hurt our child with physical or verbal abuse. We want to teach our child that such things are wrong, and punishing a misdeed or improper action by yelling or hitting is hypocritical at best.

Our goal when correcting our children is to teach them to become responsible, cooperative, kind as well as respectful. The best way to teach this really is to always remain consistent, follow through with the same punishment for the similar misdeed, and to discuss the self-discipline with your child openly as well as honestly afterwards.

Always keep in mind that the age, maturity level, as well as temperament of your child ought to always be considered when enforcing a set disciplinary action. Disciplinary actions should be discussed and understood in advance so that children know what they have coming whenever they've misbehaved and can give pause and hopefully choose a suitable route to avoid it. And most importantly, remember that it's not the child a person dislike; it's his or her chosen behavior, action or misdeed.

If you need to, give yourself a brief 'time out' before reacting with appropriate discipline. Sometimes we want a short cooling off period prior to dealing with our children's bad behavior in order to avoid a misdeed of our personal. Yelling and hitting should never end up being an option.

Keep an open mind as a parent, and be willing to learn with and from your child. We all make mistakes and it's vital that you realize that not every form of discipline works with every child. Youngsters are just as unique as grown ups are, and forms of discipline should be tailored to fit the individual needs of both parent and child. But with a little forethought, patience, firmness, love as well as understanding, the discipline may have a positive outcome for all included.