The timeout parenting method became famous at the beginning of the 21st century, thanks to TV "Supernanny" Jo Frost, who called it the "naughty step" technique. Mrs. Frost recommended the method for kids between 2 and 6 years old and suggested keeping the culprits in quarantine for one minute per year of age. Even if Supernanny has now left the screens, a lot of parents still use timeouts when their kids misbehave.
The timeout method is to isolate your child in a separate place in the home, with a short explanation about the punishment, immediately after they have ignored your warning to stop misbehaving. There, the child should wait alone long enough to calm down, while thinking about what they may have done wrong. The big problem is that, if you ask children why they are in timeout, they usually answer that they do not really know why.
In fact, nowadays, most education experts say that timeouts are not a good strategy and that isolation is a form of punishment that can have long-lasting negative consequences to a child's emotional development. Indeed, the threat of separation from the people who are supposed to protect you can cause great anxiety in a child. A good reason to look for better parenting methods, is it not?
Picture: Timeouts (Brian A. Jackson - Getty Images - iStockphoto)
