The adage “if all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail” is appropriate here. You need to look at consequences as tools to teach not tools to punish…on my tool belt I have:
- Talk, with normal tone of voice
- Talk, with bass in voice
- Yell, with normal tone of voice
- Yell, staccato with bass in voice
- Limit access to toy, game, activity, friends, playtime outside
- Spanking
I use these progressively so if he…
Plays with toys on the coffee table in the living room: 1 > 2 > 5 (this will never progress to spanking)
Running around stove while food is cooking: 2 > 4 > 6
Not doing homework: 1 > 2 > 5
Hitting his Mom: 6
Hitting women in his family: 2 > 6
Communicating Thoughts
Talking is used to communicate a rule or a desired behavior
Yelling is used to get his attention
Bass is used to convey seriousness/urgency
Consequences
Limiting access is to show how bad behavior/lack of focus/lack of following rules translates into an undesirable state of being.
Spanking is the escalation for yelling…if aural stimulation isn’t a catalyst for the child to slow down and course correct we progress to physical stimulation.