- Loss of TV for evening
- Loss of electronic games—two hours
- Monetary fine
- Small chore—wash bathroom sink
- Larger chore—weed yard
- Write a paragraph
Groundings, fines, chores, and losses like these can be very useful
as consequences, and there are many other options. The list of time-
out alternatives is limited only by your imagination. Remember to
keep the punishments fair and reasonable. Your goal is to teach the
child something, not to be cruel or get revenge.
Consequences can also be what some people call logical or natural,
which means the punishment fits the misbehavior. Throwing a
football in the house, for example, might result in the football being
taken away. Or a count of 3 might mean the loss of an ice cream bar
that was dripping on the car seat. The TV can be turned off if
warnings to turn the volume down are ignored.
In applying natural consequences, remember that kids are still just
kids. Exasperated lectures from you along the lines of “Well, this
wouldn’t have happened if you’d have simply listened to me in the
first place” are unnecessary. Unnecessary conversation from you also
interferes with your child’s ability to appreciate the connection
between his behavior and its consequences.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
We can use counting for lots of things: