Most of us know about time outs and utilize them to some extent. Recently, I have tried a “time in.” Instead of having the kids uselessly sitting around doing nothing, I keep them busy working for me. They are given a task. When the task is completed, their time in is over. So, I had Abby disobeying yesterday. Sometimes I might treat that with a time out. Instead, I said, “Go on upstairs to your room. You may come back down when all of the dress up clothes are put away.” This might include cleaning out a drawer for you. Wiping down the baseboards. Something helpful. I think I heard it once said that it’s not good to have your kids clean as punishment. All I have to say about that is, “I’m liking it so far.”
i like this idea. a lot. seems like a win win win, especially when children are older.
in the adoption world, “time in” means they are attached to the parent – mostly with an ergo or something of sorts. shows “i love you even though you made a mistake, but you aren’t acting as though you can be left to your own decisions.”