Discipline and Consequences

I don’t want to start a huge thing around this, but I have to tell you that we finally instituted “the spank”(….play horror music here). I struggled with the idea at first, but I have to say that it is a remarkable tool when used effectively. Here’s how we do it (mostly).

I say (calmly), Thornton, this is not acceptable behavior. If you cannot change X behavior, I’m going to pop your bottom. You get one more warning.
Then, the second time, I say, Thornton I said you cannot X, but you can Y. Do you want to Y, or do you want me to pop your bottom? This is your last warning. Next time I’m going to pop your bottom.
Then, if he does it again (which at this point is typically just doing it to get a reaction), then I pop one time on the bottom and said “I said no”.

Now, I say this: when we started this process, he was still wearing a diaper. It was shock value more than anything. Now that he’s older, the one pop may actually feel like something, but again, it hurts mostly his feelings. I found that I hardly ever have to pop him now that he understand the routine. I also use the countdown “1…..2……”then 3 with the spanking if I can’t get him to do something: come here in a store, do what he’s supposed to do, etc. Now I find I just have to count to 1 and I can (usually) get what I need.

I say this on discipline: go with what is right for you and your family. I know that one thing doesn’t always work for every family (or even every child in a family), but I can say that as a mom, you are most equipped to figure out what WILL work. It’s a tough and constantly changing challenge.