Poor parenting techniques part 3

Different styles of discipline work with different children. It's all very well devising a 'supernanny' chain of consequences for poor behaviour but they have varying results depending on the temperament of your child.

For quite some time I struggled to find a way to get the lad to do what I was asking him as well as disciplining him when he'd done something wrong. Shutting him in his room enraged him. He would locate the toy capable of the worst level of destruction and thrash it against the walls, screaming at the top of his lungs. Enforcing a naughty step was tricky with the twins crawling all over the place. One day I tried the 'if you haven't brushed your teeth/turned off the TV/sat down at the table by the time I've counted to five then I'm going to take away your lego/Buzz Lightyear/favourite shoes.' It was an immediate winner. I thought it would probably only last a few weeks but it has been the number one form of getting the lad to do anything for a good year. He sometimes screams at me "don't count Mummy" but on the whole I have found the threat of confiscation to be a highly effective tool to bring about obedience. Not the most positive of parenting techniques but when needs must.....

As a result, the twins have learnt to count from an early age. On the downside, they can only count to 5 and they tend to shout with mounting volume and pregnant pauses between each number.