As promised, here’s your creative correction reference guide that’s a compilation of all the ideas shared yesterday:
1. Lose a privilege.
2. Do an extra chore or job around the house.
3. Lose something special for a short amount of time (i.e. favorite stuffed animal or doll).
4. Lose the privilege of speaking (for disrespectful words spoken by older elementary thru teen).
5. Lose chair at mealtime (if they can’t keep all four legs on the ground.)
6. Allow natural consequences to run their course (not step in and try to make it easier on the child if they get in trouble at school or do poorly on a test because they didn’t study.)
7. Lose phone privileges (house phone or cell phone, depending on age).
8. Letter of apology (state what the offense was, why it was wrong, how it could have been handled differently, and asking for forgiveness.)
9. Have them clean the base boards (even younger kids can clean a whole room with a baby wipe.)
10. Take a Break. (Sit somewhere boring where they have to think about what they did. They cannot return to regular activity until they come in a humble manner to discuss: 1. What they did wrong, or their part in it, 2. Why It’s wrong (what God has to say about it) , and 3. What they will do next time (the better choice).
11. Writing sentences.
12. Writing a scripture that applies to misbehavior.
13. Reward positive behavior with stickers and rewards.
14. Lose TV.
15. Lose video games.
16. Lose whatever they LOVE to do.
17. 30 minutes early to bed.
18. This gentle correction works for teens: “Hey, why don’t you back up and try that again?” (If they walked in the house throwing a fit or forgetting to say “hello”, I would remind them in a loving tone, “Hey – could you go back into the garage and come in again using a nice greeting first? I know you can do it.”)
19. Here’s another phrase to use when a pre-teen or teen is disrespectful: “Why don’t you circle round the airport and try to land that plane again?”
20. Give grace. As parents, we always have the option to give grace: giving mercy where punishment is deserved. This isn’t looking the other way, but rather making a conscious choice that is clearly communicated in love.
I sometimes do #18 with my 3 and 4 year olds….if they say “mom, get me a drink” I say “please try again” and they ask nicely.
I love all these ideas and they are what I use in my home and have shared with parents to use as well. They are more like logical consequences because of the choices they are making – honestly – I think sometimes we as parents, make things so much more difficult than it needs to be! When we stop and think – so many of these ideas seem to make perfect sense but we get overwhelmed and caught up in the situation and it is often hard to evaluate in the midst. Precisely why this type of “plan” prior to situations is so critical! Thanks!!
I agree, Susan! Being prepared makes parenting so much easier in those hard moments!
Oh! I’m so inspired with the losing the chair at mealtime! Oh…I shouldn’t be excited about this should I? 😉
LOL!