Finding out what works

When Sean grows up, I hope he's able to use his strong will & determination to do great things. Right now, these qualities aren't a good thing for anyone, including him. Jason & I are sorting through different disciplinary tactics, trying to find out what will work & what will not. Here's what we've found: spanking - doesn't seem to work for Sean. Not that spanking doesn't work for any other kids. I remember not doing something because I was afraid I would get a spanking, even though we rarely got spanked. Not Sean... no fear in this kid. The other day, we were downstairs and he started throwing his crayons. I told him not to do it, twice. The 3rd time, I said if you do it again, I'm going to smack your hand. Of course, he did it again. I smacked his hand. Right after the smack, he picked up another crayon, threw it and then smacked his own hand. The whole time looking right at me. Sassy little boy... Time outs seem to work really well when we're at home. If Sean continues to do something he's been told not to do and you say, "do you want to go to time out?". He almost always stops. However, last night, we found out that we're going to have to use time out other places than home. We went to coney last night with Scott, Paige & Grampa Jim. Sean REFUSED to sit in his seat because he wanted to go to the front of the restaurant to play video games and get ball out of those quarter machines (whoever invented those things should be punished to the fullest extent of the law! :). So, Jason had to take Sean out to the van for a time out. He cried & said "nummies" and he promised Jason that he would be a good boy if they came back in. As soon as they sat down, Sean started again. So, Jason took him back outside for another time out. When they came back the second time, we had a different kid. He sat in his seat and ate his food. VICTORY WAS OURS!!! :) He needs to learn that although most of his people cater to his every whim, the world does not revolve around him and what he wants every moment of every day. I don't want to get worked up and I don't want to yell at him. I want him to understand that the outcome depends on his choices. If he chose to pitch a fit, he'd sit in the car without food or the arcade games or the ball. But, if he sat & ate like a good boy, he'd be able to go over the arcade when we finished. I know he's only 20 months, but trust me, he understands and if we don't start now, we will be in BIG trouble in a few years.