exceptionally bad.
What do you do if the child counts you back?
Your five-year-old is whining at you because you wouldn’t take her to
the pool on a hot summer day. You look at her, hold up one finger,
and say, “That’s 1.” She looks back at you, holds up one tiny finger,
and says, “That’s 1 to you too!”
What should you do? Oddly enough, this common occurrence
sometimes throws even the most confident parents for a loop. They
are at a loss on how to handle the unexpected rebellion. Some parents
have even said, “1-2-3 Magic doesn’t work—the kid just counts me
back!”
So what do you do? Your kids do not have the authority to count
anyone (unless you give that power to them). The child might as well
have said, “The moon is made of cream cheese.” The comment itself
means nothing—but it might be a countable misbehavior.
Here’s how you decide. If the child’s remark appears to be a
humorous attempt to tease you a little, you can just ignore it. But if
her “That’s 1 to you too!” is sarcastic and disrespectful, count it by
simply holding up two fingers and saying nothing. If the child again
mocks your response, she will have just arrived at 3. Send her to time-
out and repeat as necessary.
Can one of your kids count another one? Generally no. The only
time this can occur is if one child is old enough to babysit the other.
But make sure to get a report when you come back.
Does the room have to be a sterile environment?
No. Many parenting books tell you the time-out room should be
modeled after a cell in a state penitentiary. Complete and utter
boredom—that’ll teach ’em! This is unnecessary. The child can go to
her room and read, take a nap, play with Legos, draw, and so on. Just
to be safe, though, three things should be forbidden: no phone, no