Main issue- playing with things that are off limits- even though she knows the consequences. Not boasting, but just to clarify, this is a very advanced 3 year old. Following are the techniques we’ve used and the results…

Time-out: We tried the prescribed time-out (one minute for each year of age) for about 2 months. She wouldn’t even fight me!!! She’d say, “Ok mommy, just for a little bit though, right?” Obviously, 3 minutes wasn’t long enough, but I have 3 babies in my house, so I can’t spend forever waiting on her to get bored and frustrated with time out.

Spankings: This child HATES spankings…and I am not one of those mommies who gently pats the leg…when I spank, I spank. But still, she does what she wants and when it’s time for discipline, says “You’re not gonna spank me, right?” Ugh…

Face-to-Face: Whether we do this alone or in combination with spanking or time-out, her response is always the same. She looks us in the eye, says “yes ma’am” or “yes sir”, apologizes, then tries to distract us… “Hey mom, did you see that picture on the wall?”, “Hey mommy, I love you even if you get me in trouble” I think that’s how she sees it- her actions don’t get her in trouble, it’s our RE-actions that do.

Taking things away: No dice. One time she got in trouble right before ballet class, so I told her we wouldn’t go (she loves ballet) and she said, “Ok, I’ll just go tomorrow.”

She is actually a very calm, affectionate, sweet kid, but she can’t keep her hands off of things!! She is past the point of us putting them out of her reach, and she has conquered every “baby-proof” product we have tried.

Anyway, if anyone has any tips or magic tricks that I can try, let me know. I’m about one step away from installing handcuffs and leg braces on the couch lol. Thanks in advance!
That’s a really good suggestion, Jenny- I will give it a shot. However, the last time I tried bribery, I ended up FORCING her to eat ice cream, on principle. She is really that hard-headed.
Thanks Cait! I try to spend time with her, but it is difficult with so many kids in the house. However, I’d say she gets more attention than the babies. I have a 1yo and I babysit my friend’s daughter and my nephew on occasion, both of which are around a year old. I don’t think she necessarily acts out for attention, though. She will find something she shouldn’t have and then hides under the table with it. It seems like if she did it for attention, she would be more conspicuous about it. ? Who knows.
Amy- she has never had any real structure- I’m a stay-at-home mom and my husband owns his own business and works crazy hours- so time concepts are difficult for her. That’s the only reason I haven’t used it more on her. They cancelled class on Halloween, and she didn’t notice. They only go twice a week, so that should have been a big deal.

JLB, I am VERY good about positive reinforcement- I really am. Not to toot my own horn, but that’s one thing I have dedicated myself to as a mom. But I LOVE the idea of making her remove a ball everytime she gets in trouble. She is very good with physical concepts (got her dad’s mechanical engineer brain, I guess lol) so I think removing her own balls and watching as the jar gets emptier will really impact her. I actually did something similar- she loves her books, but she went through a phase where she would rip them apart. After weeks of taping them back together and trying to explain why she shouldn’t do it, I finally just let her tear
Prodigy- no, I don’t suppose a child has to act out for discipline to work, but since we tried it for 2 months without any progress, her lack of response was obviously due to the fact that it just didn’t bother her. And, yes, we explain clearly and simply. The things she gets in trouble for aren’t the big things- she understands the difference between things that will hurt her (a stove, candle, knives, etc) and NEVER messes with those things…it’s the little stuff- my make-up, the kitty litter box, her markers, halloween candy…that she just can’t resist.

And she is only three. She is able to read about 15 words from memory and she can make really basic 3 and 4 letter words using phonetics, but I still don’t think she is quite up for reading “the rules” if I were to post them somewhere in the house.

Tags: description..., Discipline, issue..please, read, Toddler