Module 3 – Worksheet 1: What Discipline Meant for Me – And What I Want to Change
Introduction
Before
we guide children through boundaries, cooperation, or self-control, we carry our own emotional backpack from childhood. In it: memories of how we were disciplined. This exercise invites you to unpack that backpack—gently—and choose which tools you want to pass on, and which you’re ready to lay down.
1. Think back to how discipline worked in your own childhood.
Who set the rules?
How were mistakes handled? What emotions come up when you remember it?
Write freely:
2. Which discipline strategies made you feel safe, understood, or helped you grow?
Try to name one moment, phrase, or gesture that stuck with you positively.
Describe it:
3. Which approaches felt painful, confusing, or left a mark you still carry?
Be honest, but gentle with yourself and those who raised you.
Write it here:
4. What beliefs about “good behavior,” obedience, or control were passed on to you?
And which of these do you still carry—sometimes without realizing?
Write:
Complete the sentence below to shift from unconscious repetition to conscious parenting:
“I grew up with ___.
Today, I want to choose ___.
Because I believe discipline can mean ___.”
Your sentence:
Optional: Draw your “before and after.”
Use two circles or boxes—one for “the discipline I received” and one for “the
approach I want to offer.” Add words, colors, or simple symbols.
Your drawing:
Come back to this page when you feel yourself reacting automatically.
Ask: Am I responding… or repeating?
This activity is linked to the online course section on transforming old discipline patterns. When we become aware of what shaped us, we become free to shape something new—for ourselves and our children.