What is the standard anyway? I have heard it described as a bar, a line, a boundary and a fence. New parents are often pumped up with great standards, having fresh images of screaming toddlers in the candy aisle at Walmart ringing in their heads. Sometimes more experienced parents have lowered the standard a little too far, and have permissive kids. Most training parents find it necessary to redraw the lines occasionally, as the business of life causes us to lose our focus. Having done that a number of times, I find myself wondering about that blurry line. A standard which starts high and then slouches down a few inches is being watched closely by little eyes. Their small bodies are fiercely interested in where it will stop, for it defines their own freedoms. Over the course of time, the real boundary becomes obvious to the child, and he is not fooled when you raise that bar. He knows that the real standard is the point beyond which you never allow him to cross.
For instance, in our home we started out with a “no-jumping-or-climbing-on-the-furniture rule”. For many of you, this is a no-brainer. I, however, have fond memories of leaping tall couches in a single bound; of diving over, off of and onto furniture and I took great delight in my activities (Mom & Dad, how could you stand me?). Anyway, now that I am grown I no longer indulge this particular fun craving 
, but have gone through periods of time where I let the children do so. I don’t want to deprive them of the fantastic fun involved; so I sacrifice the furniture. This seems a small price to pay for their delight, but when we go to the library and my toddler is seen leaping off of a nice sitting chair, I realize the error of my ways and vow to do better. So we “raise” the standard. But it becomes a battleground because the children remember and think the real standard is lower. The solution? Clearly there is only one way: convince the child that you will never allow him to cross that boundary. This is only accomplished through perseverance. It means that you have to let everything else slide and keep your eyes on the children at all times until he is secure in the knowledge that his Mommy is a brick wall. Eventually, a child will stop trying to ram that wall and begin to enjoy himself within his confines. But the wall must be present and in good working condition. For…
“The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” -Proverbs 29:15