Time Out For Children Is Effective For Discipline
Children are often mischievous, only the extent of mischief differs from child to child. Some children are easy to control and can be made to behave easily, while other children are naughty and even require harsh treatment. There are different ways of punishing a child, some of them being persuasion, spanking and time out. Amongst these, time out is the best way to discipline the child. Many mothers are not fully aware of this and resort to shouting, yelling and spanking the child. We explain here the method of time out to calm down a child.
With increase in age the naughty children become difficult to handle. They start shouting, weeping or throwing things to show their resentment and here the method of time outs will work. For this you have to select a place in the house, place a specific chair. Use of dining chair or other chair will work, remember to use the same chair each time. Ensure that the chair is placed in some isolated corner and while sitting on it the child should not be able to pick something and throw it. Never select child’s play room.
The length of punishment should be in minutes equal to age. Children of three years of age will need time out of three minutes or so. In older children a warning or two before punishment will be often of help to you.
When the child is furious and does not come to terms after warning, make him sit quietly on the chair for a few minutes during which he will cool down. Once the child cools down then sit with him and explain to him what his mistake was or bad behaviour and try coercing him that if he will repeat the mistake he will not be allowed to play with his friend or he will not get his favourite dish to eat. Selection of punishment depends upon child to child and age.
Children are smart enough to know that they will not be punished if they misbehave in front of others. Similar is the position in public places. You can always select a place for timeout, may be in some store or restaurant corner. If the child is not coming to terms be quiet for some time to restore peace. Ensure that you remain in front of the child so that he does not move out of the chair and start playing or throwing things. It is difficult to start the time out process initially, it requires lot of patience and understanding. Once the child starts to understand the nature of punishment he will start behaving when threatened.