For whatever reason, the last few weeks have been a little bit of a challenge with the boys behavior and thus, we’ve had to look at different forms of punishment for them. And I really believe that outside of seeing your child hurting, punishing them is one of the hardest jobs for parents.

Ever since we had to move the boys to the daycare center, both boys have started to act out more. More talking back. More pushing. More acting out when they don’t get their way. Sure, these are all normal actions with growing up and testing boundaries, but that doesn’t mean that as parents, we can’t address and correct these behaviors before they turn into bigger problems.

Some of the punishment thus far that has been handed out is:

• No TV
• No tablets
• Exercising and trying to burn off some energy
• Writing an apology (this also works on their writing skills too)
• Taking toys away and that seems to have had the biggest response thus far.

I have noticed that taking things away from the boys, as opposed to just spanking them, seems to be working well. I have always wanted to try and stir clear of spanking whenever possible, as I think that it sends a mixed message, because spanking and hitting are one in the same.

Misbehavior is something that has to be addressed quickly or it will get out of hand. I know that a lot of our kids acting out is directly related to behavior that they are learning from other kids at daycare and also some of the tv shows that they have recently seen. That being said, TV is something that I can and do control. Behavior of other kids at daycare becomes a little tricky. Regardless though, the earlier that we can identify and address these things, the better and often times, punishment is the easiest form to correct these things.