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Appropriate consequences for a five-year-old

27 replies

CoconutSty · 26/11/2023 07:41

DH and I often disagree about how to discipline. He thinks I'm too soft and I think he's too strict. Just interested in what kind of consequences people use when their five year olds misbehave? DH favours keeping DS at home at weekends instead of going out but that just punishes everyone who then ends up stuck inside all day.

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WandaWonder · 26/11/2023 07:45

My child would not connect 'I did something naughty so this happens now' we never felt the need to punish we dealt with whatever there and then an moved on

I can't remember anything my child did that was really bad over the years

keye · 26/11/2023 07:45

What kind of behaviour are you punishing to the extent of staying at home?

Doingmybest12 · 26/11/2023 07:49

That is totally out of step with his age and development and I can't imagine it will help one iota and yes it'll make you all miserable and continue a downward spiral. Give some ideas of what you are trying to manage.

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BendingSpoons · 26/11/2023 07:51

How serious behaviour are we talking? My DC are 4 and 7 and consequences are usually having to say sorry and running out of time to do what they want e.g. because you spent time cross and refusing to apologise, it is now to late to watch/play X'. The behaviour is usually things like refusing to tidy up, rather than something more serious.

We have a reward chart for certain things e.g. if you tidy up without complaining for 10 days you get a small reward. This came from me being fed up with ruined weekends of DH being irritated with DC and us basically doing nothing because everyone was grumpy!

NotMyDayJob · 26/11/2023 07:51

Completely disproportionate. What on earth is he doing that you keep him in all weekend? My just turned six year old has never done anything so bad (and she's not the easiest child) that hasnt been dealt with in the moment, not dragging out over time.

Your poor child.

MissyB1 · 26/11/2023 07:51

No DH’s approach is ott and the child wont understand.
I used to take them to their room for a stern telling off, then leave them there for 5 minutes.
But make sure you are communicating well with your dc and that they know what behaviour is expected of them, that’s really important.

Workawayxx · 26/11/2023 07:53

It depends on the behaviour from the 5 yo. I’d favour short, related consequences at that age. I can’t think of any misdemeanour that would require the whole family cancelling going out at weekends! I think drawn out and unrelated punishments can make the child feel resentful and like they’ve nothing to lose which in turn makes behaviour worse. A 5 yo also needs to go out and let off sone steam, get fresh air etc so the punishment could lead to “worse” behaviour at home from pent up energy. Just seems like a bad idea all round!

WhoNeedsFriends · 26/11/2023 07:54

Take them out of the situation and talk to them about their behaviour and why we don't do that. Then maybe take away the toy they were bashing someone with or similar.

Definitely would not be grounding a 5 year old. They won't understand and everyone will be miserable. It sounds very cruel.

Returnsreturnsandmorereturns · 26/11/2023 07:54

You need to give examples of the behaviour issues.

But your DH is way off. He is doing to hinder your child’s development and health. Most kids this are like puppies, they need at least 2 good walks a day to burn of energy and to prevent them getting into trouble.

Lovethatforyouhun · 26/11/2023 07:57

DH needs a time out!

GreatGateauxsby · 26/11/2023 07:59

It doesn’t matter what other people do to a greater extent.

You two need to get aligned on rules and consequences so your child has clear boundaries which is going to be tricky as your DH sounds a bit out there discipline wise.
can you find a parenting course you both agree on and commit to parenting the same way.

Agree with others keeping a 5 year old “grounded” for a weekend is ridiculous/pointless.

idontlikealdi · 26/11/2023 08:06

What on earth is the behaviour that warrants keeping him home at the weekend?

Moonshine160 · 26/11/2023 08:09

Way too harsh on a 5 year old and also pointless. They’re too young to understand the connection between staying at home and their behaviour. A short consequence at the time of the misbehaviour would be more effective. Not very good on your DH’s part!

CoconutSty · 26/11/2023 08:11

It never actually happens, I hasten to add! It's DH's idea of the worst punishment possible (it would be his idea of hell having to stay indoors all day) so when DS is being a pain he mumbles about how we should just keep him in "until he learns" but as everyone is pointing out that's completely counter-productive 🙄 Misbehaviour examples: arguments with DD that escalate to pushing/bashing/pinching what she's playing with, answering back or shouting, throwing things on the floor when he gets cross, making a mess at the meal table. That kind of thing.

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rickyrickygrimes · 26/11/2023 08:19

It doesn’t sound like your DH has any kind of strategy.

what age is DD? How do you respond to these situations?

BendingSpoons · 26/11/2023 08:22

If it doesn't happen, then DS will learn to ignore the threat. Most of those can have 'natural consequences' e.g. having to tidy up the mess. Some maybe need an apology or the toy removed/given to DD for 10 mins. It generally sounds like normal frustrations. How old is your DD? Our older DD is quite good at subtly winding up her younger brother, so we are careful not to disproportionately punish DS when she has been goading him somewhat!

HippeePrincess · 26/11/2023 08:29

Making a mess at the dinner table? The kid is 5 ffs. Unless he’s deliberately throwing food about this isn’t naughty behaviour, just get the kids to help clear up at the end which is good practice anyway.
The rest sounds normal and I use natural consequences, thrown toys were always confiscated, explained that they will break and won’t be replaced. Fighting they get separated and time out to cool off, explain that fighting, not sharing etc will result in having no friends.

Familiaritybreedscontemptso · 26/11/2023 08:35

CoconutSty · 26/11/2023 08:11

It never actually happens, I hasten to add! It's DH's idea of the worst punishment possible (it would be his idea of hell having to stay indoors all day) so when DS is being a pain he mumbles about how we should just keep him in "until he learns" but as everyone is pointing out that's completely counter-productive 🙄 Misbehaviour examples: arguments with DD that escalate to pushing/bashing/pinching what she's playing with, answering back or shouting, throwing things on the floor when he gets cross, making a mess at the meal table. That kind of thing.

Lots of emotion / empathetic talk aimed at teaching self regulation (both read How to talk so kids will listen) and natural consequences.

When calm - talk about what went wrong, how he was feeling, what to next time, how to fix the problem. Eg tidy up the mess he’s made.

At 5 he’s still little enough to pick up & remove from a situation to calm down so eg fighting with dd, throwing things because he’s cross. Remove to a quiet space, acknowledge the feelings, talk it through, resolve. Keep going and keep going and you’ll get there eventually.

Big threats don’t work. Link a consequence directly to the action, make it short and something everyone can come back from and then move on.

BertieBotts · 26/11/2023 08:40

At five if you're using consequences they need to be close to immediate and ideally linked to the misbehaviour.

Research shows that there is no benefit to using larger and larger consequences; something token/small is just as effective as something more serious. It's all about how you use them. And consequences (punishment) are in general less effective than positive reinforcement of the behaviour that you want.

You're right as well that you can't just look at the behaviour on its own, it's important to look at the whole picture, so something like keeping him in all weekend may be counterproductive as he'll be bored/have energy to get out. It's like saying you'd punish a dog by refusing a walk - doesn't work like that. They need exercise and stimulation or these needs will come out in other ways.

In the scenario "Mum thinks dad is too strict/harsh; Dad thinks mum is too soft" (really common scenario) there are two red flag situations to look out for:

Is dad controlling in general? Is there a general sense of contempt for you/your opinions, so that you can't discuss things? Does he escalate to the point where you're actively concerned for the wellbeing of your child? Do you find you're both tiptoeing around his moods and/or you feel like you have to "placate" the child to prevent dad from going off at him? You might be in an abusive situation - abuse isn't always physical.

The other thing to watch out for is when you both respect each other and can have a discussion but you have wildly different ideas about parenting to the point that you each feel genuine concern/distress about the other, and you're each attempting to balance by pulling out - you feel he's too critical and harsh so you try to shower the child in love, praise, acceptance and understanding and empathy, to the point you probably let them get away with too much or have lower expectations from them. Dad feels you're too flexible and unclear and so tries to be extra strong/extra clear about boundaries to try to undo what he sees as a general lack of discipline. May have high expectations of child.

The first is not fixable and you should prioritise safety and consider leaving the relationship. The second IS fixable but you both need to be open to discussing what is probably a highly emotionally charged issue. The key is to see the positives in each other's parenting approach and lean in. So you focus on how to set boundaries and be consistent and raise expectations all in an empathetic/respectful way. And he focuses on how to be more positive or see the child's perspective and maybe some child development. In this way you each lean towards the middle and don't end up with a wildly unbalanced pendulum swing method for the child.

Peablockfeathers · 26/11/2023 08:44

How old is his sister? I agree with others that for a 5 year old a punishment down the line doesn't really register the way it does when you're a bit older. For fighting with a sibling I'd remove them from the situation, explain why its unacceptable behaviour and then do lots of positive affirmation for positive behaviour. I do think it's important to do something for the sake of your DD, it's miserable having a sibling who keeps taking your stuff and fighting when they don't get their own way.

Catopia · 26/11/2023 08:45

CoconutSty · 26/11/2023 08:11

It never actually happens, I hasten to add! It's DH's idea of the worst punishment possible (it would be his idea of hell having to stay indoors all day) so when DS is being a pain he mumbles about how we should just keep him in "until he learns" but as everyone is pointing out that's completely counter-productive 🙄 Misbehaviour examples: arguments with DD that escalate to pushing/bashing/pinching what she's playing with, answering back or shouting, throwing things on the floor when he gets cross, making a mess at the meal table. That kind of thing.

Consequences need to be immediate and short lived - a time out, an apology, needing to pick it up. Once that is out of the way, you then move on with the day as if it didn't happen. By the next day, the child is not going to remember the reason why you're not going to the park, and frankly it's just holding a disproportionate grudge. The exception may be the consequences directly flowing from the thing - so if DC broke an ipad or a TV, that thing is not replaced immediately (or not in a way that the child gets to use it).

It also needs to be child-specific. Staying in might be your DH's idea of hell, but if it's not the DC then may be entirely counter-productive to even threaten it.... My nephew was a struggle to get to go anywhere, including really fun places, at that age, would rather be at home with his toys and screens. 🙄

Marblessolveeverything · 26/11/2023 08:52

Fresh air an exercise are a need not a want! Children need to run around and play it is how they learn, develop, be healthy and supports them in behaviour management.

Your dh needs educating about children, has he read one book on children development?;

Punishment wise I went with say sorry and work with parent to put the mess right etc.

keye · 26/11/2023 09:01

arguments with DD that escalate to pushing/bashing/pinching what she's playing with, answering back or shouting, throwing things on the floor when he gets cross, making a mess at the meal table.

What kind of arguments? How do they start? Why is her dad escalating them to such level?

You know it's him right, not your child at fault here?

Topjoe19 · 26/11/2023 09:24

I find with sibling arguments it is almost always half a dozen of one & six of the other so I don't go wading in shouting I try to find out exactly what's happened. This usually ends in me saying 2 wrongs don't make a right & get them to apologise to each other. 5 mins in the bathroom (so boring) if there's any seriously bad cheeky/talking back or throwing & making a mess. Stern talking to. Missing something like watching a fave TV show due to the messing about. I wouldn't make them stay in unless it was something really terrible.

BertieBotts · 26/11/2023 15:33

keye · 26/11/2023 09:01

arguments with DD that escalate to pushing/bashing/pinching what she's playing with, answering back or shouting, throwing things on the floor when he gets cross, making a mess at the meal table.

What kind of arguments? How do they start? Why is her dad escalating them to such level?

You know it's him right, not your child at fault here?

I read this as the OP's son is arguing with her daughter. So siblings - not the son arguing with dad.