He also recognized that the natural consequences form a system of reward and punishments, but concluded that it is better that the parent not always (or often) be in that loop.

Reading his work, I thought about how many (not all) children finally grow up into responsible adults only when they have left their immediate families to go off to college or move out and get that first job.

In some situations, the consequences could result in injury or death. In other situations, The classic example of this case is “playing with fire”. It is quite common for a toddler to a minor burn and then quickly learn to be careful around hot things such as the kitchen range, space heaters, or irons. On occasion, a child sets fire to the house or apartment while playing with matches or a lighter. In the latter case, the matural consequences can be disasterous.

Another problem is when the consequences are not felt immediately.This is the case with lying. Young children do not understand the concept of honesty.They learn that lying is an easy way to get what they want.Eventually, their lies catch up to them and problems occur. However, they have delayed the natural consequences and the association with the cause is no longer clear.

Natural consequences still form a system of rewards and punishments.

Good parenting is based on the judicous application of many techniques. Behavoral modification through reward and punishment is sometimes needed. Positive attention is the best reward ( not candy or toys). punishment is needed only on rare occasions. The hardest part of being a parent is being able to decide to reward, punish or just let things happen.