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Originally Posted by Lissa   I really, really don't want to start time outs. Especially at bed time. I know that I should have no tolerance. I keep making up excuses for him. I just don't want to hear him scream on the time out mat. |
If you don't want to do time-outs, you don't have to. There are alternatives, especially at this age. I think we pretty much have zero tolerance for a lot of bad behavior (biting, throwing things, etc), but we don't use time-outs at this point. Time-outs would be overkill for my son, who usually just needs a gentle correction and would start a giant, pointless battle with my daughter. She learns fine with taking away toys that are being thrown, being separated from her brother if she can't treat him well, having her food or cup temporarily taken away if she throws them, etc. All of these things really gets to her, and she has learned to avoid these consequences by behaving about 90% of the time. But she is a kid who always is looking to get into a contest of wills. I have to be careful to find a way to stop a behavior without allowing her to turn it into a battle or a game as she will never be able to win (sorry, kid!). She just has to stop.
Also, if he seems overly tired, I'd put him to bed as long as it is close to his bedtime and not hours before. But you do need to be consistent, even when he's tired, as hard as it is.
