Understanding Natural and Logical Consequences
How to Know which Discipline Strategy is Appropriate
Jan 6, 2009
With so many discipline techniques to choose from, it is easy for parents to become confused about how to use each one and how to use them correctly. The terms "natural consequences" and "logical consequences" are often used interchangeably because they sound similar. They are actually two different techniques and their differences need to be understood in order for them to be used correctly.
What are Natural Consequences?
Natural consequences are consequences that occur without any interference on the part of the parent and that parents have no control over. If a child stays up too late or gets too little sleep, that child is tired the next day. The parent didn't have to do anything extra to make the child tired. The child is naturally tired because he didn't get enough sleep.
Parents can become frustrated with natural consequences as a discipline strategy because it can take longer for the positive results to show than with other methods. Although it takes more time for parents to see results, it's important to remember that the process the child is going through to learn from his mistakes is worth the wait.
What are Logical Consequences?
Logical consequences are those that parents impose on a child for behaving in a certain way and are "logically" related to the behaviour the parent is trying to change. For example, if a child refuses to wear a helmet when he goes bike riding, a logical consequence would be to remove bike riding privileges for a period of time.
Ensuring that consequences are logically connected to the issue is crucial to making sure the strategy works properly. If the child who refuses to wear the helmet is grounded from television or his favorite stuffy is taken away – rather than being grounded from the bike itself – the strategy will not be effective because there is no connection between what he did wrong and what he is losing as a result.
How to Decide which Strategy to Use
The best strategy to start with is natural consequences. When children make their own mistakes, they are more likely to change their behaviour because they make their own connection between what they did wrong, what happened as a result, and what the consequence will be if they do it again.
There are times when it is not appropriate to rely on natural consequences. If the parent of the child who refused to wear the helmet were to let natural consequences occur, the child could hit his head, putting his life at risk. If the natural consequence puts the child or someone else in danger, then it is time to use logical consequences.
Logical consequences are also a better strategy to use when the natural consequences will take so long to occur that a very young child will have forgotten what he did wrong in the first place. If a young child takes toys away from an older cousin he sees only yearly, he will likely not remember a year later why the child doesn't want to play with him.
There are also some solemn social environments where it might be better to deal with a situation right away rather than wait for natural consequences to take effect. Many parents prefer to teach their children at a young age to behave reverently in churches, hospitals or funeral homes. In such environments parents might prefer to remove a misbehaving child (logical consequence) rather than waiting for an officiator to step in.
Choosing between parenting methods can be overwhelming for parents. It is easier to make decisions around discipline strategies when its clear how they all work and what strategies work best in different situations. Knowing the basic differences between natural and logical consequences will help parents make more effective parenting decisions.
