Ep. 107 - Punishment or Playtime?

In the episode "Ep. 107 - Punishment or Playtime?" of the "Empowering Choices" podcast, hosts Joshua, Lucas, and Erik dive into the tricky terrain of disciplinary strategies when children perceive punishments as playful rather than corrective. The discussion kicks off with Joshua recounting a personal anecdote where his child found the concept of timeout to be more of a game than a punishment. Joshua explains, "So I thought okay, he thinks this is a game and that this is fun. He likes me whipping them out and putting them over on the timeout."

The conversation evolves as Erik chimes in with professional insights on child behavior and discipline. He emphasizes the importance of not turning timeouts into physical activities that could be seen as fun or games by the children. Erik advises, "First thing you want to do when you bring a child out of timeout is not... ask them if they are going to do that again. You simply state, 'We do not do this.'"

Throughout the episode, the hosts explore various tactics and psychological insights to better handle situations where children might not take punishments seriously. Erik shares an example from his experience in a treatment center, illustrating how aligning disciplinary actions with what the child values can be effective. He narrates, "I might bring out a snowboarder magazine... in front of the snowboarder, and about five minutes later, they'd go, 'Can I look at that magazine?'"

The episode also touches on how emotional responses from children to disciplinary actions can vary and how parents can adapt their strategies accordingly. Lucas discusses the concept of emotional tantrums versus tantrums where children are in control and are using their behavior to gain leverage or attention.

The podcast wraps up with Joshua reflecting on the effectiveness of making a child realize what they are missing during a timeout as a more impactful form of punishment. He recounts an instance where withholding his son's favorite YouTube video during timeout led to a real behavioral correction. Joshua's story prompts listeners to think about the thin line between punishment and playtime in parenting. He invites feedback, saying, "Let us know if you've been through some of these things, if your kids have thought that their punishments were fun."