Time OUT!!

Time outs have their place in child rearing, but not when their rooms are all decked out with a laptop that has internet and a TV with a dvd player and blah...
Pfft.... If time outs were like THAT, I'd do everything in my power to be on time out all the time!
We have what is called the time out chair. It's a comfy enough chair in a room lacking in any kind of visual stimulus that may distract a child from the task at hand, which is to think about what they did. It works out for the most part I guess, but it's in talking over the events that led them to the time out zone that makes the difference. Just because a child is put into the time out... well, it doesn't end there. As a parent, it is important to discuss with the child WHY he or she was put into time out and discuss all the reasons why the behavior was improper and how the behavior will not be tolerated. It's hard sometimes because I think we expect too much from our children. But in order to raise resilient and upstanding children to become resilient and upstanding adults, it takes that little bit more and we should expect just a little bit more. I really don't see the harm in raising the bar just a little bit each time so that eventually, the children will start doing it for themselves. Not too lofty, but never settling for mediocre but trying to seek out something a little bit better each time.
Child rearing ain't for the weak of heart or mind, but I can guarantee that it's worth every effort you put in. For them and for you. I hope mine will see that some day..... In the meantime, I play the role of the bad guy who doles out time outs.... :s