So if my nearly 4 year old is acting up, which is usually at bed time, I now and again will shut his door and place an object under the handle so he can't get back out. This is a last resort, if he has been up and out of the room 100s of times and tantrumming to the point that he is lashing out at me and hitting me...
I imagine i will get condemned for it so putting myself in the firing line here but I really don't see an alternative when he is in that state, it's never ending and as a single parent I don't have any other options.
It's not all the time his tantrums are definitely lessening as he's getting older but when he is putting up a fight it's hard work. People have told me before "just keep leading him back to his room" but he is relentless and just come straight back out and follows me, if I then hold his arm or manhandle him in any way he lashes out at me, causing me to feel like me only option is to "lock" him in his room. I do talk to him through the door explaining my reasons and once I know he is calm and staying in bed I will open again, and I always do. I never ever keep it locked all night, as soon as I hear he is calm I open it up again, before he's fallen asleep.
Like I say this is often, but I've had to do it tonight but he actually punched me, for the first time in a while. I told him I won't allow him to punch me and said I will be closing the door so he can go to sleep and not upset mummy again.
Personally, I don't really see the harm in what I am doing but would be intrigued to know if I am perhaps doing more harm psychologically with my disciplining here?