It should have been no real surprise when using time outs to discipline my son became more or less ineffective. Even though I explained to him before and after each time out why he was in time out and what he needed to do to avoid time outs in the future, they were not getting the job done. Something had to change and it did. We transitioned to the concept of consequences for our actions. Bad behavior earned an undesirable consequence and good behavior reaped desirable consequences. He received the same kind of warnings for bad behavior but I also … Continue reading →

There was a time in my son’s early toddlerhood that the threat of a time out in the corner was enough motivation to help keep my son’s behavior in check. When he did act out in such a way that warranted a time out, he took his punishment well without much protest or defiance. Recently, using time outs as a way to curb his bad behavior has become quite ineffective. Instead of going in the corner and waiting quietly for his two minutes to pass, he now whines, hits and kicks, will not stay, or will not be quiet. Instead … Continue reading →

As the transition to our new home began to set in for our son, his actions started to reach a sort of middle ground and he was getting time outs less and less. Things changed on his second birthday. He seemed to age overnight. His language exploded with his simple sentences turning into paragraphs. He also started to find another level to his independence and started pulling the overtly defiant card. While he was going to time out without any argument, after his birthday he started to contest his time outs with whiny tantrums. His cousin taught him the word … Continue reading →

In the early days of putting our disciplinary plan into actions, we did not really visit other people very often so dealing with him acting out at someone’s house was not a problem. Inevitably, once the craziness of the beginning of the school year died down (I was a full time high school teacher at this stage in our son’s life), I started visiting friends again. It was interesting to see how our son interacted with other people. While he was largely very well behaved and and a pretty “good listener,” there were of course instances during our outings to … Continue reading →

We continued disciplining him with time outs on the spot and he began to learn what he could and could not do. He had good days where he was put into time out only once or twice the entire day and bad days where he seemed to be in time out all day long. Still his behavior was improving and he seemed to understand that certain actions would merit a time out which he did not like. As he got a little older how we disciplined evolved a little bit. He went from having his time outs sitting where he … Continue reading →

My son was born at the height of summer in the dry heat of West Texas. After twenty hours of labor, nine of which were quite active and painful, my first child was born before the first light of the new day. As I held my precious and tiny baby boy in the next few weeks, the thought of how I was going to discipline him crossed my mind. It was hard to believe that my innocent, helpless child would ever need to be disciplined but the day came sooner than I had anticipated. Soon enough our toddling son was … Continue reading →

Consider this idyllic scene; There you are singing Old MacDonald with your little one the whole way to the grocery store. You get in the store grab a cart and grab your toddler when suddenly you hear the call of the wild. Taken back you realize your toddler is screaming “WALK…WAAAAALLLLK…I WANT TO WALLLKKKKK!” You try to be calm, you try to be firm, you try to look calm, you try to sound like you are not giving in, but nothing is works. This escalates into a full blown tantrum and a full blown frustrated mommy. In my experience, the … Continue reading →

Every parent of a toddler has witnessed a loving little child turn from Jekyll to Hide without warning. Or was there a red flag that the monster inside your precious sweetie was about to rear its ugly head? I rarely have seen a tantrum that could not be predicted. Although every child is different there are some things that are consistent across the board. Your child asks for a cookie and you comply. Suddenly your toddler is screaming and saying something about the cookie you just gave her. You investigate the cookie and see that it is broken. Toddlers reject … Continue reading →

Once your child is older, time out can be a great tool for any parent when trying to teach your child what is wrong and right. But, in the beginning, time out can be frustrating for a mother of a smaller child. My son started doing plenty of naughty things when he was very young. He was so much more mischievous at a younger age compared to my daughter. He would write on the couch with lipstick, throw things and break them, grab knives out of the dishwasher, etc. etc. As soon as he could walk, I was in trouble! … Continue reading →

There is no wrath like that of an angry toddler! From kicking and screaming, to crying and biting, there is not a parent on the planet that does not dread the anger of a little one who is about to lose it. Chances are that you already know some of the anger triggers. My toddler might go into a melt down if a toy is suddenly taken away, or in today’s case, when the stroller broke and we had to cancel our trip to the park. Knowing what these triggers are can do a lot to help you understand them … Continue reading →