The great principle in a contest with a child is : do not yield, but do not punish. The normal parent sometimes yields for the sake of a quiet life, and sometimes punishes from exasperation ; the right method, to be successful, requires a difficult combination of, patience and power of suggestion.
Source: Bertrand Russell: On Education, especially in early childhood, 1926, Pt. 2： Education of character, chap. 13: Nursery School
More info.： https://russell-j.com/beginner/OE13-010.HTM
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Russell's advice is "easier said than done" for parents when they are young. However, as they grow older?perhaps because they lack the energy to argue with their children or grandchildren?the advice "Do not yield, but do not punish" becomes easier to appreciate. Or perhaps it is because disciplining children is the parents' responsibility, while grandparents can afford to be less responsible when it comes to their grandchildren.
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