Time-out - When your kids need a break

Time-Out - When your kids need a break

I used to send my son to his room to "time-out." He was challenging at times (this is huge an understatement). 

He climbed out of his crib, drew on the walls, learned how to use tech without me teaching him, broke his sisters piggy bank, told a teacher she was useless and took a nap under his desk at school. His first-grade teacher came to me,  "I can't handle him. Can you keep him home two days a week?" 

These a just a few of his little challenges. When he was acting out at home, I generally knew he needed a change of scenery, to get away from everyone and calm down. I would send him to his room. He liked being in time-out; I don't think he saw it as a punishment but rather a break, a time to cool down by himself. 

My kids are teens now, out of this phase on off to the challenges of the teen years. They still need a time-out but not the kind I gave them when they were little, not in the form of punishment. 

They need to unplug, get away from homework, books, devices and everything and just listen to music, take a long bath or hang out with Mom and Dad.

That being said...we all need a good time-out from time to time. As time-outs were criticised as an unsuitable  form of punishment I thought to myself, "Only if you are doing it in a degrading way." Giving someone a chance to recenter, calm down and breath is something we all need.

I've had a rough day and will leave you with this. It is time for my time-out today. 

–Allison Ochs, Social Worker M.S.W. , Coach, Expat, Mother of three, Wife

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