Are You Raising Bratty Kids by Margaret Paul, Ph.D. -
Jeffrey consulted with me because his three-year old son, Jason, was hitting and having temper tantrums. Jeffrey was mystified because he and his wife, Collette, had never hit or yelled at Jason. Jeffrey and Collette were very careful to respect Jasons feelings and needs and could not understand where he could have learned his disrespectful behavior.

Nothing they did stopped Jason from hitting and screaming when he didnt get his way. He was immune to the time-outs they continually gave him. He would apologize each time and say he would not do it again, but next time he didnt get his way, he would again hit and scream.

We worked on the problem on two different levels. First, I suggested that Jeffrey and Collette start to think in terms of negative consequences. Jason needed to know what the negative consequences were for his acting out. What privilege would he lose? What event would he be unable to atte ... Read more »