Being a parent of multiples is a challenge, especially if this is your first parenting experience. One of the issues that parents have to face as their kids get older is discipline. It seems like every parenting magazine and book offers some type of advice on how to properly discipline kids, however, they rarely seem to agree. If you are facing discipline problems with your multiples, there are some effective methods of discipline that teach your children how to control their behavior in a positive manner.

Tip No. 1: Boundaries and Structure
The key to well-behaved kids is to provide them a home environment that is well-structured and has boundaries. This system of rules and expectations will help guide their behavioral development and keep them from developing negative behavior habits such as being disrespectful to adults or being aggressive toward other children.

Tip No. 2: Consistency Is Key
In order to keep your multiples on the right track, you need to be consistent with both your rules and your punishments. Your multiples are naturally going to test their boundaries as they get older to see what they can get away with. If you fail to punish a negative behavior even once, it can lead to weeks, if not months, of repeated offenses. Consistency is hard to maintain for parents, as it makes you feel like the bad guy, but it is important for the emotional health of your multiples and the functionality of your family.

Tip No. 3: Provide Emotional Support
While punishments always seem to be the first thing that parents think of when they think of discipline, emotional support is another factor that parents need to incorporate into their parenting strategies as well.

Growing up is hard to do. You don't understand a lot of what is going on or why you have to follow certain rules, you are continuously told what to do, and you have to face your fears of the unknown on a daily basis. All of these stressors can lead to "bad" behavior. However, parents need to identify when the behavior problems are caused by frustration or fear and when they are caused by a child testing their boundaries or willfully breaking the rules, such as not putting away their clothes.

When you can tell that the problem is because the child is afraid of something or frustrated with something, the parent needs to offer emotional support. For example, they can talk with their child about what's going on in their life that is frustrating them, they can give them a hug and comfort them or they can take time out of their schedule to spend extra time with their child to relax and have fun together.