Nor can there be any guarantee that the child will not commit similar acts again.

Nor can there be any guarantee that the child will not commit similar acts again. The parents in such circumstances must bear in their minds that the child by nature is not aggressive. There is always an external reason for such behavior. Therefore, they must investigate the matter carefully to determine the actual reasons and cause for the act of destruction.

When the cause for the breaking of the glass is determined, then there will not be motivation for the child perpetrating such an act again. Perhaps, the act of vandalism was a direct result of some insult caused to the child by some one. Perhaps, the child had not been receiving proper attention and he took out his spleen by causing damage to the window. It could be the reaction to some undeserved punishment the child had received from his parents.

If the parents make efforts to remove the psychological complexes from the mind of the child, there is every possibility of setting him right. If such a breakthrough is achieved, there will not be any need for punitive action. The child will then refrain from destructive acts and there will nod be need to shout at him or beat him. If you learn that your child has done something wrong, and you desire to guide him to the right path, then dont interrogate him like a policeman.

It is possible that to protect his ego the child might have recourse to lies. It is better in such circumstances not to interrogate him and say as, for instance, that he must return the book that he had borrowed from his friend. Tell him that it is not proper to keep others things for long. Return your friends book immediately with an apology. Dont threaten the child with a punishment that you are not intending to give.

For example, dont tell him that if he did such and such a thing, you would beat him, or you would hand him over to the police, or that you will send him out of the house. Also dont tell him in your anger that you would not take him to the forthcoming dinner he had been eagerly looking forward to.. With such false threats you would be teaching the child to tell lies. You must convey to the child only such things that you really intend doing, and you think that they are right by him.

The parents who are strict with their children and expect from them much more than their capability, are perhaps pushing them more towards lying.