Hi- my 3 year old boy is starting to hit and play rough with other kids...and he laughs when i put him in time out! Also, how do i keep him from saying "poo-poo" ALL the time? Im at my wits end..... Any suggestions would be helpful.
Thank you!
Never ignore these first signs of VERY bad habits. We nipped all this at around three instantly and my son who is now four never does these things. Even the funny little words can escalate and come out at very wrong times, just get used to enforcing now so he minds your warnings. We never bothered with any time outs. Check out Back to Basics Discipline by Janet Campbell Matson.
Time-out isn't effective with all kids. And if you use it as a punishment, lots of kids don't care. They know they will get back to the activity sooner or later, anyway.
Time out only worked for my daughter when she needed an opportunity to de-compress. I used it more as a coaching "sit here and get a hold of yourself" type of tool.
at 3, re-direction is still the preferred method, I think. You say (a gazillion times) with NO emotion from you.........
"joe, we say 'uh-oh' instead of 'poo-poo' " (if that's a battle you want to fight). Know that you will say this for the next 30 years, though.
"Joe, we use words, we don't hit"
"joe, we are leaving now, because you are not playing nice with the other kids. We don't play rough. Let's go"
Also, each time BEFORE he plays, have a talk about expectations:
"Joe - what kind of behavior are you going to have today at the park?"
"Good"
"Good behavior, that's right. And tell me some good behaviors?"
"xyz/123/whatever......"
"yes, mommy wants to see you playing nice, using your words, taking turns xxxxx"
Then after - reinforce:
"joe - what kind of behavior did you have today?"
point out some behaviors he had that were good - "I liked how you and Tommy played nicely together with the truck" or whatever.
Good Luck.
I would not really react much when he says those words to be funny. I would just very flatly say "I don't like that word" or "That isn't funny" and then walk away. As for the hitting and playing rough, this is the exact reason "Time Out" annoys me. Time Out should be used as a way to remove a child, who is overwhelmed and can not control himself to get it together, away from the fun situation. When he is calm enough to compose himself he can return. "Time Out" should not be a punishment or a threat. Instead, if he continues to play rough then leave. Period. 3 is a little old to be doing this constantly. I would think about why he is doing this so much...that might help fix the situation.
Boys... have potty mouths. And they are parrots.
They talk and joke about poop and pee and gross stuff. Even older men do that. They think its funny.
I have a boy and girl. And my daughter never did that. My son does.
Sure, its not polite. You teach your kid that.
What I do is tell my kids, that INSTEAD of using bathroom words... to think of something else instead. Because once they go to school, if they talk like that they will get in trouble. It is not polite and is rude. So, for example, instead of calling someone "poop head".... say something else... like "popcorn hair... " or something. Something that IS funny but not offensive.
At this age, as well, they are doing a lot of pretend playing. And part of this is them figuring out, what is appropriate or not.
Since your son is 3, I highly recommend that you read this article (about kids role playing):
http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/when-good-kid...
ignore the potty talk its a boy thing and the more you react the funnier they think it is, just be thankful that is the worst he has said. My 3.5 year old son has picked up a few choice words from my ex husband that i could do without and those words he is punished for after a warning but things like poo poo dont get any reaction
