Creative Punishments ...

I'm learning that in order to get my point across, you have to be "creative" in punishments. Some listed were not my idea, but are effective ... some were used on me ....

1. If you take away their Birthday -- it has a BIG impact! Austin wouldn't listen, wasn't turning in papers to his teacher that I specifically told him to, it did no good yelling at him and taking away TV didn't work either. His Birthday Party was planned with his older brother's party, the party was Laser Tag... Austin got to go, but could NOT invite anyone. His brother had friends and presents, Austin only had us! Worked like a charm!
2. Take away their room -- now, I have yet to try this one, but have threatened. If momma has the power to take birthday's, he knows she has the power to take his room ... and he has a friend who lost his room. His parents took EVERYTHING from his room and he had to earn it back, including Bed and wall hangings.
3. Grounded 1 day for every lie told .... yeah, even the good ones get caught doing that .... Austin got busted when he was in Kindergarten ... he found a necklace and instead of just telling me, his dad and neighbor/teacher that he found it, he had 5 different stories ... most his dad bought ..... Mom called him on it ... he got to sit at the kitchen table and could only have books or paper and pencil to write... a friend asked me to watch her 2 little girls ... of course I said yes, cause they got to play in his room w/o him... man that sure fried his ass ...
4. Repeat the behavior to get it out of their system ... example -- Slamming Doors --- Sure fire way to get them to quit is to make them stand there and slam the door for 15 minutes full force! This works for screaming, plopping down on the couch, stomping.... yeah, nothing like watching them try to scream, plop stomp or slam for 15 minutes ...
5. Kneel in the driveway -- I have never tried this, but Austin's father said that it works as he had to do it many times. They have to kneel on the driveway with arms out to the side, very effective on a gravel driveway.
6. Take them BACK to church -- Austin learned that telling mom he was sick in church and just fine when we got back home wasn't going to fly. I sent him back to bed, got him up when breakfast was ready, made him change back into church clothes and told him if he even squirmed the wrong way during mass that we would be going to EVERY church I could find and we would go ALL day ... he said to me, but Mom, 11 is the last mass of the day ... I told him that he didn't understand, we woudl go to EVERY CHURCH I could find, including Baptist, Methodist, Penticostal, you name it we were going to go... AND he had to appologize to the priest for us leaving in the middle of the homily.
7. Saying Nice Things -- When my sisters and I would fight, my Mom would make us take chairs and face each other, holding hands, we had to sit there and say nice things to the other and we couldn't repeat one that was already said ... Mom then decided when we could get up.
8. Taking Car Keys -- I got grounded once and Mom took my car keys. I was told that she didn't care how I got to work the next day, but it wasn't by car. I had to be at work at 6am the next morning, so I got up, showered and was ready to walk out the door at 4:30am so that I could walk to work (10 miles) ... she handed me my keys but I knew I'd be walking the next time if the behavior returned.
9. Make them stay up and clean -- My niece and nephew wouldn't listen when it was time to go to bed, so my mom made them stay up, way past their bedtimes and clean ... they cleaned the baseboards in the kitchen, under side of cabinets, refridgerator etc etc. And, she got them up for school when she left for work (5am) You bet they went to bed like they were suposed to the next night.