Since writing the book No: Why Kids – of All Ages – Need to Hear It and Ways Parents Can Say It, I have spoken to parent and community groups all over the country.  One of the topics that I often talk about is Discipline Deficit Disorder or what I call DDD.

Too many of our kids have run-away cases of DDD.   Signs of it pop up everywhere: classrooms where teachers spend more time addressing behavior issues than teaching, a kid’s overgrown sense of entitlement, teens opting out of harder classes, general rudeness where “make my day”, replaces “have a nice day”, inability to stick to a task, escalating cases of the “gimmies”…

Why should we be concerned about DDD?  Because DDD robs kids of self-reliance and self-discipline, skills they need to be successful in school and in life.  It also undermines a child’s true sense of self-esteem.  True self-esteem is built on a child’s ability to handle and accomplish the tasks they face in life.

On a more community level, DDD results in too many of our teachers leaving the profession because of student behavior and demanding parents.  It also impacts our country’s economic future.  How are our kids going to compete in the global marketplace if they avoid the “tough” subjects in high school and college or if they do not have the self-discipline they need to be successful on the job or in a career?   The lessons in self-discipline begin early, they begin small, but they are important and they start with No.