Week Two || Mamas Tell All
Discipline and punishments are seriously a touchy subject all around. It's really a matter of preference and what works best for your family. I'm glad this was one of the topics for our linkup because I'm very curious what moms with older kids will have to say!
I think it's important to keep in mind, if you have more than one kid, that one form of punishment might not be as effective for all kids. This especially holds true for us. Additionally, What works for you and your family will probably not work for us.
When Zander was born five years ago, my husband and I, like most new parents were clueless about how we would raise Zander. Sure we had a few basic ideas and we knew we didn't want him (or any future kids) to be spoiled brats. I'll be honest though... our only experience in seeing a parent discipline their child was watching my brother in law spank his son (who is two years older than Zander). Is that how we wanted to punish Zander when he got older? We thought that's just how it was done.
Wrong. SO very wrong!
Yes. We tried the spanking method. I do admit it. Am I proud of it? NO. I'm not. I get knots in my stomach thinking about it to be honest. Sure, it may work for my brother in law and his boy, but it's not something that goes over well with either of my kids! Let me tell you something about my kids. They're sensitive souls. They're full of heart. They're emotional. When they get spanked or even threatened to get spanked, fear washes over their faces and it's a look that would break anyone's heart.
So what do we do? Well, without going into too much detail, the picture above is an accurate example. Time outs and explanations. If either of the kids does something they know they're not supposed to do (like snatching a toy away from someone without asking first) they get sent to the timeout corner. They have to sit quietly for however many minutes myself or Daddy deems appropriate. The longer they ask when they can get up, the longer they sit. Once time is up, they then have to come and sit quietly with me or Daddy so we can explain why they got sent to time out.
The explanation method has really worked with Zander because he's a "why" kid. He's a learner and wants reasons for everything. If he doesn't understand exactly why he got punished, he's just going to do it again. This was something we learned over the last 3 years. Trial and error, y'all.... trial and error.
Ainsley is still young. We send her to time out as well, but mostly she comes out on her own. We do explain what she's done isn't right. Both kids do apologize for what they've done wrong. Zander has gotten really good about apologies. When he interrupts adults talking & I have him say sorry he says, "I'm sorry for interrupting you while you were talking." My kids are awesome, y'all!
What discipline methods work for you and your family? Please link up and share your thoughts! We'd love to see what y'all have to say!
And in case you missed it, here's the upcoming topics for the Mamas Tell All Linkup!
April 15: Kids Say the Darndest Things – the crazy things that come out of our kids’ mouths
April 22: Saying Goodbye to Diapers – tips and tricks or just stories about the potty-training process
April 29: The Man Behind the Mama – talking about husbands, boyfriends, etc.
May 6: Fighting the Green-Eyed Monster - talking about how all mamas sometimes get jealous of others
May 13: Dating my Daughter/Son – spending special time on “dates” with our kids
May 20: Last Year We Bought a Zoo (or Not) – a discussion on pets in the family - do you have any? why or why not?
Be sure to grab the button and link up with us!
Mamas Tell All: To Spank or Not to Spank
| 1. | The Rambling Llama (Co-Host) | 3. | Everyday Thoughts (Co-Host) | 5. | Jasmine @ Classy, Sassy & A Bit Smartassy | |
| 2. | The So-Called Homemaker (Co-Host) | 4. | That Southern Mama (Co-Host) | 6. | Holly Housewife |
(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)
