Kickin' It Old School

Why is it when you finally have a behavior management system in place for your children it no longer works? Every few months I find myself reestablishing rules, routines, manners, discipline, respect, and trying to find a new way for the girls to remember how to behave like humans vs animals.

Depending on the age of the child and the specific child, we have used sticker charts, pom poms in a jar, sad jar, happy jar, dollar store rewards, time outs, alone time, color charts, three strikes and you're out, grounding from technology, missing play dates, earning screen time, earning play time, money (oh yes), and countless others.

My newest form of punishment is not original, nor it is mine. I thought about doing it, but never did until a friend told me she was doing it with her daughter. The beauty of peer pressure. It is no longer allowed in some public school systems and that makes it sound so scandalous.

E1 in all her seven year old glory still has some difficulty expressing her emotions when she gets pissed off. We all fly off the handle sometimes, but at seven I am going to need more self control or when she is 17 this mama is moving the fuck out.

I began this scandalous, corporal punishment in our home and I am LOVING it.

SENTENCE WRITING!!! BEST PUNISHMENT EVER.

When E1 starts to act like an ass (which can happen frequently) I merely state, "You need to stop now or you will be writing sentences."

The "I will not lose my temper" sentences were brought to you by E1 getting angry over something so insignificant that I cannot even remember what pissed her off so badly and neither can she. All she remembers is she lost her damn mind and didn't regain control until mom said, "You are now at 25 sentences."

I start at 10 sentences and work my way up in increments of 5. I might have to go increments of 10 when the novelty of this wears off.

Most recently E1 was in a "NO" mood in which means no matter what I ask, the response is no. I'm not sure what alien takes over her mind while this happens because this behavior has never been acceptable.

Anyway...tonight during our session of "NO" she was able to stop herself upon hearing this, "You are now at 15 sentences of I will not say no."

15 is less than 25. A math lesson and a lesson in self control all rolled into one- how nice for E1.

Maybe this punishment works because it causes focus and allows her to calm down and channel her energy elsewhere, maybe it works because it gives her time to think and reflect on what got her in trouble in the first place, or maybe it works because my kid HATES to write and can think of nothing worse.

Whatever the reason is, I am taking it as a parenting win (for now.)

Added bonus, her crappy ass handwriting will improve.