Self-discipline is a thing that many adults find hard to practice and here we are going to talk about how to inculcate that in your children. When children will start practising self-discipline in early childhood then it’s highly possible that they will continue that in a later period of their life too. Self-discipline is the way through which you can help to delay children’s gratification, resist unpleasant enticements, and bear the inconveniences that are required to reach their long-term goals. Though there are many methods which can be implemented none gives the level of accuracy that the Indian Military inspired tactics to do. It is very necessary to give your children the prospects to develop self-discipline. You can apply these tactics that are inspired by the methods that are opted in the Indian Army and these will help your child learn and keep self-discipline.
- Provide a schedule and a structure:
The very first thing they teach in the Indian army is to follow the schedule religiously. You should sit down with your child and help him in making a schedule for every day that can be used by your child regularly. When a person knows that what he is supposed to do, he is less likely to waste time in doing other activities that are mundane and have no productivity at all. For example, you should teach your kids certain things that can inculcate discipline such as teaching him to make his bed first thing in the morning like they do in the army. That is a minor task but will grant immense satisfaction of doing the first task of the day in an optimum manner. You will have to keep the routine of your child as simple and regular. You should teach him in such a way that he has enough of the practice as what happens in the military because your child needs to implement his schedule regularly without your help.
- Give reasons for every rule and its consequences:
Following rules is the bedrock of the Indian Army and the organisation ensures that a proper hierarchy is maintained by following rules and regulations. With regarding the children, you will have to keep an official approach as it helps the children to learn how to make good and healthy choices because these are the things that help them to understand the rules. Every officer in command makes sure that their men understand the cause of the rules as it will help them in understanding the fact that why are they required to follow them and what consequences they can suffer if they will not adhere to them.
The explanations shouldn’t be long and boring but they should be effective and interesting enough and should have an immediate explanation about why some choices are important, as this can help the child to properly understand the choices that he will make.
- Give results as a measure of his acts:
Occasionally, the natural way of results and experiences in life will teach great lessons in and so will the bad experiences from the bad decisions. The bottom line is to own your acts like every person in command does and takes responsibility for his decisions. A boy who didn’t do his homework instead of continuous reminders and instead played all evening shouldn’t be made to skip his school next day as his homework isn’t completed and you should ensure that he learns that he had a choice and he made the one which isn’t pleasing to him now. The natural consequences of his indifference and behaviour should be faced by him alone. There is a specific period of time when the children need logical results for their decisions and who can know this better than an army parent. Self-discipline will not come alone by just motivation rather clear knowledge of the mission or the end result will teach him better.
- Shape his behaviour by constant practice:
Extreme self-discipline is a long process which took many years to be in perfection and to be completed and refined. You can not exactly use the tactics on children that are used on the adults as age-appropriate disciplinary policies are required to be brought as one step at a time. You shouldn’t be expecting your child to suddenly remember his entire routine like a GC does in the academy. For example, try to use a pictorial chart on the wall or make him maintain a diary that can show his daily schedule or chain of events that he has to follow. Plus you will have to be helpful and shouldn’t go in full-fledged military mode and rather it should be inspired by it. Provide reminders to your child, when it’s necessary so that they can keep track of the things. Ultimately, they will need less and fewer reminders and no chart or diary will be required because they will be capable to improve their own discipline.
- Appreciate his actions:
Whenever your child displays some good degree of self-discipline provides positive attention and good results then appreciate his efforts like it is done in the Indian Army as every good and commendable job is awarded merit and medals. Also, you are required to portray the best behaviour if you want to see your child behaving in the same manner. The CO of the unit has to behave in a certain manner so as to provide the unit with an exemplary example of how should their conduct be in times of crisis and at peace too. Sometimes the good behaviour of your children is ignored, and by giving appreciation to your children for a better choice, you are just increasing the chances that they will repeat their behaviour in future too. This thing is often done in the Indian Army in order to enhance the performance of the troops and to keep them in the high spirits.
- Teach him how to solve problems:
The behaviour of your child can be a very easy solution. For much more complicated issues, every commander in command of troops resorts to the testing and error type interferences. For example, first of all, you are required to remove the privileges that your child is getting without working for them. If that does not work, then you can resort to other methods such as making him realize about things that he is supposed to do in order to receive the privileges. Try different resolutions for different temperaments of the kids as a discipline is gradually inculcated and you shouldn’t forget that he is a child and learning continuously in life about new things.
- Model self-discipline that he can look up to:
Children learn a great deal through adults in their life. If your child sees you opting for things out of your routine which aren’t productive or which you aren’t supposed to do then he will replicate your manners and will use your habits. You will have to switch to the self-discipline model as I have told you before, the troops behave in the manner their officers behave.
These are some basic rules that you can keep in your life and by following these rules you can easily bring a high degree of self-discipline in your kids subjected to the methods used in the Indian Army.
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