Time Out For, Time Out's? Survey Results Are In!
Okay, here are the results of the FIRST EVER COOL MOM.COM SURVEY/QUIZ. Although this one was a survey, there could be a quiz in the future. I instituted a quiz when I first took the helm of the Dr. Dean Edell show and I've been a sucker for them ever since.
Well, here are the results:
I would have loved more "Overrated And Lame" votes. Just goes to show there is no magic bullet. I partly did this because I can't make up my mind. If I just threaten a time out, Viv doesn't like it. She definitely doesn’t like it when I actually enforce a time out. After I have made the decision to give a time out I don't a shift in behavior. If she is at that out of control stage 95% of the time it's because she's over tired and no "discipline" is going to help. My only hope is getting her to sack out. The other 5% of bad behavior is usually because I've been watching too much Olympics or Democratic convention and she's had it with my neglect and lack of cartoons.
The 9% who say Time Outs are very effective I wonder what you are doing exactly, to make it work so well?
The other thing that bugs me about Time Outs is, when I was a kid it didn't have that name. My mom just threw me in my room. So I rankle at what seems like an over precious phrase. I wasn't able to track down who coined the term. Guess it works better than, "give me a minute before I lose my marbles."
Those 9% probably give The Evil Eye!
I find it incredibly effective to not care where you are or who you are in front of… when a kid needs calling out, they get it. It's mostly embarrassing to them… and the husbands. After a while, they get it. And just when you think you've got it down… they hit the teen years.
Ahh well.