Wipe the Slate Clean
Due to frustration, parents and teachers will often remind children of what they have done wrong in the past. Usually, this is done in a sincere attempt to help children understand how exasperating it is when misbehavior is repeated.
Children, however, rarely respond well to constant reminders of past acts. They feel that adults are unfair when they "carry on" about issues that were dealt with before. Plus, these past acts cannot be changed.
So what’s reasonable? It’s important to take past acts into account in your own thinking but to resist the temptation to lecture children about them. Consider the acts when establishing a child’s credibility, the need for extra practice in correct behaviors, and the size of punishment if the child needs a clear message that no means no. You may wish to explain how previous misbehavior has influenced your judgment but don’t "lecture". Children need to feel that each day is a fresh start.
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