“Teacher sent me to the naughty corner but then I could go back to the mat” said Jack the other day without taking a breath.
“WHY did she send you to the naughty corner Jack?” I asked.
Silence.
“Jack were you not listening?” I prodded
Silence.
A while later
“I was putting my feet on the wall but she said I could go back to the mat” he offered.
I left it for a while because I didn’t want to make too much of a big deal about it and the 
more he mentioned it the more excited he seemed to be that he had been sent to the naughty corner. Almost like he had received a badge of honor!
Turns out he was walking up the wall with his feet while standing on his hands. After the third time she had asked him to stop, the teacher sent him to the naughty corner. Apparently he was extremely unimpressed and cried and cried and took forever to actually make it to the corner.
Up until this naughty corner incidence I have managed to get away with counting. There are times he just doesn’t comply but for the most part when I count he does what he needs to. But he really has been pushing every boundary there is and it feels like we are constantly at war.
Last night during a tantrum I said “If you don’t stop what you are doing and listen you are going to the naughty corner.” (I can’t actually remember what I wanted him to do – I think it was a tantrum about a DVD) He stopped screaming and looked at me with big eyes. Clearly the naughty corner is a bigger deal than counting to 3. To be honest we don’t have a naughty corner and I was trying frantically to figure out where I would actually send him if he didn’t stop.
What is an appropriate naughty corner? Really I am asking this seriously? I was thinking the area near our stairs? Its separate from the lounge and there is nothing fun there. (Once I sent Kiara to the bathroom – she had a great time toilet papering the bathroom so lesson learnt there)
12 Responses
Anywhere where there really is nothing but a corner. and it does work very well
My kids get to sit in the passage. They can see the family but not the tv.
My dog puts himself in naughty corner and sits in the corner of the garden.
best is to find a corner where there is no distraction.
Good luck!
I’m a huge advocater of the naughty spot. We have it where their back is to the TV and there is nothing fun to do around them, plus I can keep an eye on them. Knox has had to sit there once or twice and now I mention it and he stops what he is doing.
I have found more and more that my warnings and countings and threats were just falling on deaf ears. Now I give the instruction, warn once and then it’s the naughty chair. It’s making a big difference!
Good luck!
I use the stairs. Biggest mistake ever was sending them to their rooms.
We use 1, 2, 3 magic (I wrote about it on the blog) but then you go to time-out and I always said to the kids, “there’s a time-out spot EVERYWHERE”. There really is!
So tell Jack there are LOTS of naughty corners 🙂
Your kids are classic, Laura! The stairs space sounds good for a naughty corner. Good luck with Jack – and remember, although he’s driving you nuts now, it’s a very good thing for him that he’s persistent and sure of himself. It’ll serve him well throughout his life. 😉
The naughty corner never worked for my 2 lol they would just up and walk away hehe. I like the stair space too 🙂
We also use the 1-2-3 magic philosophy. So I count Kade and when he gets to 3 I put him in “time out” or “naughty corner” which is anywhere away from the “scene of the crime”.
Good luck! 3 is FRICKING challenging!
xx
Any old corner will do. If I send Nicola, she stomps off to the nearest one and pretends to cry…
Ha ha ha Jack is too cute!
It has to be some where they feel like the are missing out! Though would not work for kids who can entertain themselves easily
There is a timeout spot EVERYWHERE. Haha. He’s too funny!