Childrens Books - Finding the Moral of the Story

Children's Books - Finding the Moral of the Story
Discipline is evolving. Years ago, it was the norm that when a child did something that they weren't supposed to do, he or she was spanked, sent up to bed without dinner, and that was the end of that, until next time. In modern times parents use time out, or grounding to get messages across to their children. Still the consensus among parents is that there is something missing in this disciplinary tactic. In the ever evolving world of discipline, parents are searching for different ways to teach children the differences between right and wrong and teach them the reasoning and values behind certain decisions that they make.
Although parents talk to their children about what the children have done wrong, after time out or grounding, I have found in talking with other parents, that many times parents still seem to worry that their children are not receiving enough information on "why" their actions were wrong to begin with. Or they worry that the "reminder" to their children of "why" their actions were wrong has not come across effectively. Is it really enough to simply send your child to her room or send him to the corner for 20 minutes?
I am a mother of a 14 year old daughter who belongs to that group of parents who is struggling to come up with alternative methods of disciplining. One day, I ran across an article written by a psychologist who endorsed the practice of having children read stories about other children who are facing the same challenges they themselves are facing. So I got an idea. A few days later, my daughter came home with a D on her report card. I decided that this bad grade required disciplining. I sent her to her room, but this time, I sent her with a book. I could not find a book at the library that strictly covered getting good grades, so I gave her a self help book that encompassed several issues from making new friends to getting good grades.
Her assignment was to read the book and provide a book report for me, answering some questions related to what the different sections of the book taught her about making good grades and responsibility in general. When she emerged from her room with book report in hand, I sat her down while I read it. We went over the reasons that she had written down for why getting good grades is important and why it is important to be responsible and turn in all school assignments on time, etc. This really helped my daughter understand more thoroughly why she was being punished. It seemed as though my daughter really did get the message this time, and we both felt that her time spent in her room was put to good use. The only problem that she had was that she wished it were an audio book. We laughed, and I told her that I would keep that in mind.
To find books related to children's issues you can go to: http://www.moralbooks.com