It is the duty of the parents to discipline the children to whom they have given birth and are bringing up. To properly discipline the child the parents have to teach them a number of things including setting limits for them. The limits up to which the child can go, depend upon the age of the child and level of mental development.
This way the child will get the first lesson of living within limits and will be better behaved helping him to do well in studies and become a good citizen. There is a tendency in the children to see and learn new things and also, being naughty is a tendency in most of the children so setting limits will be of help to maintain discipline.
Some parents are of the opinion that naughty children will not always do well in life. This is not always true. Some children will behave in a particular manner out of sheer desire to learn something new or out of curiosity and try to see and understand the world beyond the limits set for them by parents. Making the child live within the limits will make him understand that he has to live with restrictions.
A child of, say less than five years of age, may be told that he cannot go out of the home alone. It is natural that the child will try to break the rule or limit to see why he is not allowed to move out. When the child is beyond five he can be allowed to go to the next house or park but cannot cross the road. The child should be made to understand the reason for this. The reason could be traffic on the road which may injure the child, or the child being too small and may get lost if he goes beyond the limits. Any desire to cross the limit should be firmly rejected. The child should be told to inform the parents even before going to next house.
There must also be time limits with the kids to play video game, surfing internet, working on computers, watching TV or playing in the ground etc. for to learn time management and being disciplined themselves as they grow up.
With advancement of age the limits go wider and the child demands freedom. Giving freedom is not bad but it should be associated with the sense of responsibility. Child should know that if he has the right of moving out or doing whatever he/she wants, it is his/her responsibility to look after the parents. This way a sense of mutual respect and confidence will also be developed.