Are You Parenting…Or Punishing? [Ep 112]

We break down a calm, effective discipline model: love first, consequences always. The goal isn’t a perfectly on-time kid—it’s a healthy inner voice: “I’m loved, I own my mistakes, and I accept consequences.” We cover punishment vs discipline, unified-front parenting, step-parent realities, and how the way you parent becomes the way your child parents themselves.What you’ll learn• Punishment vs discipline: shame out, responsibility in• How to deliver consequences without anger or yelling• Why your marriage comes first if you want kids to thrive• Boundaries vs enabling (and when to let natural consequences hit)• Scripts to separate behaviour from identity: “You’re loved; you still owe the cost.”• Self-parenting: turning this model inward so you stop punishing yourselfChapters00:00 Cold open: “I’m loved, and I still pay consequences”01:12 Why the marriage comes first06:45 Punishment vs discipline (core differences)12:58 Designing consequences kids respect19:40 United front: no divide-and-conquer25:03 Boundaries vs enabling31:27 Step-parenting realities (and loyalty binds)37:55 Self-parenting: stop the inner punishment loop44:22 Simple scripts for hard moments50:18 Takeaways and weekly challengeTry this week• Replace one punishment with a calm, stated consequence and a reaffirmation: “You’re loved. You still owe the cost.”• Write your one-line family standard for discipline and post it where everyone can see it.Resources• Show notes and newsletter: betterthanpod.com• Questions or stories: betterthanperfectpodcast at gmail dot comHashtags#BetterThanPerfect #Parenting #DisciplineNotPunishment #Boundaries #RespectfulParenting #CalmParenting #FamilyLeadership #StepParenting