Comforting Children

[CrazyEight]

I put mine in a timeout too. He breaks into hysterics at the drop of a hat - I ask him to clean up, he is made to share or give back a toy he stole, he is asked to finish his milk at lunch, anything. At home, he is apparently never made to do ANY thing he doesn't want to do, and is coddled and babied like crazy. Even though he's been with me 2 years, the last 6 months he's been pulling these stunts more and more. Every single time, he gets placed on the bottom stair and left there to calm himself down. Sometimes it will take upwards of 45 minutes, but I think consistency is the most important thing, so I don't give in. He has to sit until he is done screaming, and then he can rejoin the group.

If you have one that won't sit where you put them, will they fit in a playpen? They won't like it, but it will keep them contained and eventually they will learn to calm themselves down....in theory. Or you will really appreciate home time.

Good luck!