Question
We're in the middle of Cyclone "J". Master 5 1/2 is in day 2 of a 3 day bedroom ban for slapping his 2 1/2 year old brother across the face, disobeying my initial instructions to go to his room, and then spitting apple juice all over his brother's back! This morning, I realized he wasn't taking it seriously so I took his toybox away. Well, that set him right off. This afternoon when school finished he asked to go out to play and I reminded him of the bedroom ban. He screamed "I hate it! It's boring!" ....a good outcome I suppose?
Now, I have several questions about him being in his room:
1. How do I respond verbally when he constantly calls me needing something or wanting to show me something that is trivial? Do I say calmly "I'm not going to help you sharpen pencils, this is part of your consequence"? Or do I ignore him? Or do I say something more firmly/coldly like "You didn't listen to me yesterday, so I will not listen to you whilst you are in your room!"?
2. If the disrespect continues whilst in a bedroom ban (e.g in the car on the way home from school he told me his behaviour would never change to which I told him his life would therefore continue to be boring), or he argues with me, should this extend the bedroom time-out to say 4 days or 5 or does the initial ban of 3 days stick as that was in response to his original offence?
3. Not really a question, more of a cry for reassurance from me - He's so angry right now, will he simmer down? Am I scarring him and leading him to believe I've gone cold and loveless toward him?
