Whoever invented the naughty corner needs to be taken to one side and shot.
My boy is now 19 months old and has decided very early on that he will not listen to a single thing I or anyone else says.
'Put him in the naughty corner' they said, 'That will sort him out.'
So being the modern parenting kind of guy I decided to follow the advice.
advertisement
First you need to designate a naughty corner.
In my home, after a unanimous vote, we picked that bit between the front door and main hallway.
The naughty corner, for what it's worth, seemed to work at first.
Whenever he did something wrong he was marched off to the naughty corner.
He quickly realised that his crimes would be punished.
Pull the TV socket out - naughty corner. Draw on the wallpaper - naughty corner.
Hit his sister - naughty corner. The list was growing.
That was until he realised that by crying the house down and pausing to look through the glass every now and then would eventually get himself out of the naughty corner.
There is only so much crying a human being can take.
Sooner or later you begin to lose your mind and return to the naughty corner to set him free. For doing this I was put in the naughty corner by a higher power.
I can never remember there being a naughty corner when I was a kid.
In fact there was no need for a naughty corner. Hey, I was as naughty as the next kid but the slipper would soon set me straight.
That slipper would find me wherever I was hiding and could go round ninety-degree angles sometimes.
Not that I am condoning the slipper in anyway. In fact, who cares that the slipper set me straight and I only grew up to hate size five shoes.
Most of the time a stern look was all it took. I have practised my stern look in the mirror for months but it just doesn't have the same affect.
I know there will be those who feel that the naughty corner is the best invention since halal panini.
It must have been invented for a reason - to show the kid who's boss.
But I am quickly finding out it may be doing the complete opposite.
Posted by: Mrs., Far from the naughty corner on 1:05am Sun 20 Jan 08
The idea behind it is great, provided you stick to whatever you set out to do, but whenever I hear someone talk of the Naughty Corner or the Naughty Step, I immediately cringe.
Its even worse when parents try to assert their authority with the naughty corner, but fail miserably by either using a really whiny-wet lettuce voice to say “I’m not going to tell you again” (for the fifth time) or just give in altogether and let little Thomas carry on beating his sister up.
I have friends and relatives with a Naughty Step and their kids are never off the thing. They spend more time on that step than they do in their own bed. What happens when they come to mine? They don’t sit on a step, or in a corner. They behave.
When they are out of line (this doesn’t include that terrible sin of not finishing a jigsaw) I let them know this by means of a slightly raised, stern voice and a look that says “You do that one more time and we are at war”.
After this, you only usually need to give them that same look and they’ve soon cottoned on, because kids clock everything. They know exactly who they can run rings round and who not to even attempt it with.
Your little man has got you sussed!!
The idea behind it is great, provided you stick to whatever you set out to do, but whenever I hear someone talk of the Naughty Corner or the Naughty Step, I immediately cringe.
Its even worse when parents try to assert their authority with the naughty corner, but fail miserably by either using a really whiny-wet lettuce voice to say “I’m not going to tell you again” (for the fifth time) or just give in altogether and let little Thomas carry on beating his sister up.
I have friends and relatives with a Naughty Step and their kids are never off the thing. They spend more time on that step than they do in their own bed. What happens when they come to mine? They don’t sit on a step, or in a corner. They behave.
When they are out of line (this doesn’t include that terrible sin of not finishing a jigsaw) I let them know this by means of a slightly raised, stern voice and a look that says “You do that one more time and we are at war”.
After this, you only usually need to give them that same look and they’ve soon cottoned on, because kids clock everything. They know exactly who they can run rings round and who not to even attempt it with.
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
Print
Email this
Comment
