Beyond Time-Out

Relentlessness

Requests, demands, conditions – our children can go on and on, refusing to stop until they get a response that satisfies them.

Interrupt the pleading with an attention-getting gesture. If your child’s begging is a routine habit that escalates quickly, clap your hands once sharply and say: "Elizabeth, stop. I have told you my answer. I am not going to talk about this with you any further. If you keep going on about it, I am going to have you go to your room until you can get it out of your system."

Now that you have general guidelines for what to say and what to do in the face of various verbal oppositions, adapt your own words and actions to fit whatever circumstances arise with your children. The more often you assert your clear and firm leadership, the more comfortable you will feel about using it.