3.5 year old immune to naughty step

[bollandbear]

Our 3 and a half year old son's behaviour is getting worse. NOt terrible, but the naughty step which had previously been so sucessful has just lost it's effectiveness. He used to have a day or 2 when he might have to be put on in twice and then nothing fo a couple of weeks. Just the threat of the naughtly step and he would jump to it. Now he just sits there shouting "bovvered" and blowing raspberries and spitting as I star the timer again and again. Once we get to the end of the 3 mins he apologises and we do the whole chat about it but we go back to square one a couple fo hours later. Any advice for what I can implement beyond the naughtly step?

OOoo, poor you, sorry I'm laughing because I can remember my own little sod DD doing very similar at that age & beyond

if its any reasurrance, it seems it can be the bright ones that quickly learn to take the power out of any punishments, so I quickly learned to think on my feet & through the "naughty step" rule book out of the window

I had to keep changing the goal posts, for a while rewards over punishments would work better,

for example I decorated 10 pennies & she had to get through X amount of time without misbehaving & she would then be given a "flower coin" if she still misbehaved after warnings, she had 1 taken off her instead....she collected 10, & she got to choose a treat, anything from a trip somewhere she liked, to & trip to the Pound shop, with money to spend on anything she chose

this worked brilliantly for a while, until she decided not to "spend" them any more, that way she didn't have to earn them.....so reverted back to a punishment routine for a while...removing toys...until 1 day she brought me a basket of her favourites & said, there I don't want them] ...& on & on....

she kept me on my toes alright, but all good fun, & she is now 8, very bright & generally very well behaved :)

so from my experience, your going to have to keep changing how you deal with it, but be secretly proud you've probaly got a brian box on your hands

threw,,,not through

She sounds great! I do think he is pretty bright, though so it's interesting you say that (comes from his dad who is mega bright!). Some of the things he comes out with in an argument are classic. You really have to stifle a laugh. His dad was explaining to him that daddy and mummy were in charge because that was the law. "No I am in charge of the law!" was the instant reply!

I have been doing a sticker chart for getting ready in the morning so I may have to extend that.

Thanks!

We quit the naughty step- didn't really work for us.

Now, it's go to your room- warning first and then to your room. It's quite serious to be sent to room though- doesn't happen very often. Is more for me to cool down as well as him!!! He's 4.

I am too lazy for sticker charts. I go for the loads of praise when it goes right and no attention/try to stay calm but decisive (not always possible!) when it doesn't.

thanks tgger!

It didnt work for my yougest either, because he didnt really understand cause and effect, he was immature so it didnt achieve much.. Now he is 6 (still immature for a 6 year old) but he's understanding cause and effect so I have reintroduced it and it does work..

I varied it a bit in that the naughty step is next to me (I do ignore him totally) as he needs to see he is not getting attention, as the message somehow sinks in more if that makes any sense!!