There is no such thing as a disobedient child, only a disoriented one. As internationally-respected parenting expert Kim John Payne explains, a child's misbehavior is a means of navigation: they are asking us to show them where they stand. Combining Payne's astute observations and stories with brain-based evidence and child development expertise, The Soul of Discipline offers a simple, three-phased road map for orienting children to appropriate behavior without resorting to punishment and ultimatums: -Parents act as the "Governor" of children up to age seven or eight; -the "Gardener" who watches, listens and decides on the right course of action with the school-aged child; -and finally the "Guide" who collaborates with an increasingly mature child in the teen years. At each stage, Payne gives parents a series of small, do-able changes that build off the existing family dynamic (as well as a "rescue kit" for families coming to his program in later years), allowing parents to keep their own unique parenting voice, but to speak with greater clarity.