Calm

One year old boy starts crying. Three year old big sister, E, looks a little guilty. Their mom takes action:

Mom: "E, what happened?"
E: "I pushed him down."

Mom: "That wasn't a very good choice, you need to take a break."
E: "Okay." E walks to the stairs to take her break. She is quiet and immobilized until she gets permission to get up again.

Mom puts baby down for a nap and E is still waiting patiently to be released. Several minutes later Mom tells her she can come out and they have a nice calm discussion about what happened.

Meanwhile, I'm watching my friend and her children in disbelief. This (and by "this" I mean Simon peacefully accepting a time out) would NEVER happen in my house....but maybe it could if I changed my approach? Since witnessing this scene I have made a conscious effort to discipline Simon pretty much the same as always, but without ever raising my voice.

The results thus far? I feel great about reacting calmly to his shenanigans, but Simon's response to discipline has proven to be the same whether it's handed out loudly or quietly. Ultimately his personality is just not one to admit fault and sit on that naughty chair without a fight, and that's okay. I'll keep staying calm and maybe, just maybe, one day he will sit there and quietly reflect on why throwing a rock at someone was not a good choice.

Thanks, JS :)