DS thinks time-out is a game

[niccig]

DS has just started doing the run away from the time-out chair ala Supernanny. He thinks it's a game. I do put him back on the chair without saying anything, but this morning it felt like it was forever, in reality only 15mins. I find it soooooo frustrating. Any advice on how to deal with this? Also, I don't have the voice, you know the one that kids listen to...other parents have it. Sometime DS will listen, other times he laughs at me. We're also do 1-2-3 Magic and DS will often stop at 2, other times we go all the way to 3. So all my discipline is turning into a game. . ..sigh...and he just turned 2....

Nicci

[gatorsmom]

If you just started doing the time out chair, then it's a novelty and still a game. Same thing happened with my son. After the novelty wares off, however, they get tired of it and don't want to do it any more- this leads to kicking and screaming and yelling, etc. The key to any discipline strategy working is consistency. Just keep doing the same thing- tell him no, no. Tell him the next time he does it he gets a time out. Then when he does, put him on the chair and hold him down till the time is up. Turn your head away and don't talk to him while you are holding him down. He will hate it and that is what you need for a punishment to work. He has to hate it. He will laugh, listen, yell, all sorts of stuff to get your attention. You have to ignore him.

Keep in mind that at this age, they can't really tell if they've been on that chair for 1 minute or 5 so if you are getting a back ache from holding him down for the 5th time in an hour, you could stop early and he wouldn't know the difference. It will get easier. I promise, after a few months he'll walk to the time out chair on his own when you tell him to. As long as you are consistent with it.

HTH

[C99]

I remember this well. My DS doesn't sit in a timeout chair. I have to do timeouts in his room, with the door closed, where he can't see me. Only then does he take the discipline measure seriously. My DS is 4 and he sometimes still tries to make a game out of discipline/corrective measures.