Tag Archives: privileges

When Losing Privileges Doesn’t Work

Taking away or losing privileges is one of the mainstays of parental discipline. Many of us find that next to time-outs, losing privileges becomes a good logical consequence to misbehavior. Of course, not all methods of discipline work well with all children, however, and there are those for whom losing privileges just does not seem to be a deterrent. Some kids care about stuff and things and some just are not very attached to items so losing the use of a bicycle or an apparently cherished toy or video game just does not seem to affect them like it does … Continue reading →

Privileges and Consequences–Connect Them to the “Real World”

In order for privileges and consequences to have power and “punch” as parenting tools, they need to be connected to the real world–things that truly matter in the life of our child. Otherwise, we as parents have little authority and our children don’t take our discipline techniques seriously. For example, if you take away television privileges from a child who seldom watches television–the discipline is really a joke. At the same token, offering as a reward or privilege a trip to the zoo for a child who is not “into” it does not have much inspiration behind it either. It … Continue reading →

Taking Away Privileges—Making it Work

Once children graduate from the preschool, “time out” phase, the world of discipline can open up for a parent. One of the tried and true methods for many families is the taking away of privileges. This could mean restricting activities, taking away items or possessions, or “grounding.” But, like all discipline techniques—it doesn’t work for every child and it isn’t always appropriate. AND, it can be overused and lose its effectiveness. I think that any discipline technique loses its effectiveness when it is overused. Often, taking away privileges becomes the ONLY thing that parents do and eventually, a child learns … Continue reading →

Is Homeschooling a Right or a Privilege?

I had a bad EBay experience today where I purchased a power cord and when I got it, was not happy. The seller was dismissive about it. He then demanded positive feedback. I replied that I would not give feedback at all. You see, I told him, feedback is a privilege to be earned, not a right. Let us just say that this is where it got ugly. So what does my EBay experience have to do with homeschooling? Well I saw an interesting correlation. (I am a homeschool blogger; I would see a correlation in a ham sandwich) There … Continue reading →

Week 7: 8 Weeks To A Well-behaved Child

We’re entering the home stretch! It’s week 7 of 8 Weeks To A Well-behaved Child. This week we learn how to remove rewards and privileges to eliminate serious misbehavior. Before we move on, let’s review last week. In week six we talked about using effective punishment to discourage problem behaviors. We talked about using punishment effectively as well as the proper way to use time-out. For homework we were supposed to use reprimands as a mild punishment and also use time-out to discourage a menacing behavior. How did you do? Me? With the holidays it was frantic at my house … Continue reading →

Week Three: 8 Weeks To A Well-behaved Child

Here we are at week three of 8 Weeks to A Well-Behaved Child. Last week we talked about giving praise and attention. Our assignment for the week was to give praise and attention five times each day. I started the week out doing really well but slipped about mid-week and had to remind myself what I was supposed to be doing. When things get hectic it’s so easy to forget to praise our kids but this kind of encouragement is exactly what they need. During week three we learn how to use rewards and privileges to strengthen behavior. Just like … Continue reading →