Is time-out a waste of time?

I bet you are hoping that I know the answer to this question. I sure don’t.

The school that Julian attended for his bridge-K year asked us not to use time-outs at home. We stopped using that term, but called it “taking a break” and it meant pretty much the same thing. Now that Scarlett is four, she gets regular time-outs, but I’m not convinced that they do much for any of us.

Amy McCready is a parenting expert that I trust. I attended her free online class a few months ago, and I took copious notes that I shared with my husband and several friends. I felt enlightened. I’m excited that she’s going to do another free class just for Rookie Moms at the end of this month. She promises to share tools and strategies that we can use right away. The class will answer the question “Is time-out a waste of time?”

There will be two sessions on August 30th. Sign up for the one that works best for you and Amy will send you email reminders so you don’t miss it.

It’s free, so you can’t go wrong!

How it works:

• Sign up for the webinar
• When the class begins, follow the link you’ve been given to enter the “classroom”.
• The web page will load and display a video screen of Amy talking, her notes, and a chat window where you can ask her questions to get clarification or specific advice for your child’s behavior.
• You do not need a webcam (or lipstick), just speakers so that you can hear Amy.  Attendees get to see her but she cannot see us.

Heather or I will be online also, soaking up the tips and tricks. We had a lot of fun last time as folks were able to commiserate and vent as Amy talked. Frustrated parents of 2-15 year olds, please join us!

Feel free to share this link (http://www.positiveparentingsolutions.com/rookie-moms) with friends, family, and your preschool list. (They don’t need to be blog readers to participate — just parents who would like their children to cooperate without fussing, complaining or whining. ) Make sure to let them know that the class is free!

photo: sean_alexander on flickr