Usually, your child would be frightened from hearing that. They’ve learned from past experiences that it is never good when you start with this upsetting sentence, so they will try to find any excuse to escape or stop listening and tell themselves, “I will not listen. I will not listen…” At this point, you have said nothing, yet you will only get half the attention of your child with twice the effort.

Therefore, the best way is to turn what you want to say into a bedtime story and tell the story to your child before going to bed. For example, start with “Once upon a time, there was a big wolf…”

At first, you child would have no idea that you are lecturing them on how to behave. By the time they finally understand, the story is over and what you want them to know has already entered their mind. Your child would understand why they should stop doing this undesired behavior.

Many parents think that they are too busy and don’t have much time to reason with their children. They believe that beating is quicker and more effective to correct their children’s bad behavior.

However, these violent actions don’t teach reasoning to your child.

If reasoning is taught then your child will choose not to do things that might make you feel sad and disappointed.

If you use violence, your child is learning to fear you instead of reasoning through their actions.

Once you are not around and pose no threat to them, they will repeat their bad behavior again.

Therefore, in the long run, it is necessary to take some time to reason with your child. Especially for those parents who hope to have children carry on the family line.

If their children are not as successful as they think, they might feel that their entire life is meaningless (As to them, the definition of success is to pass on their superior genes to their children successfully).

According to these parents, it is no use to make more money.

Thus it is better to put much of the time and effort into educating their children rather than buying fancy houses and cars for them. As a saying goes, “As a jade without chiseling will not become a useful object, a man without learning will not know the way”.

In terms of evolution, success is achieved only when the offspring are better than their parents. That is to say, it is not enough to be as good as parents, the children must be better than their parents.