Give Me a Break

Give Me a Break

By Grandma Jeddah

Try this wonderfully useful discipline method--“Time-Out”.  When your child misbehaves, send him to his room for some time out.  If you have other children in the home and they share a room with your misbehaving child, make sure he spends his time-out alone.  You want a room where he can be unaccompanied and not have interaction with others.  Although it’s preferable to have a permanent room that is used for time-outs, any room in the house that is not occupied will suffice. Even a spot on the couch, in a corner or in the hallway can be used.  Select a location that is reasonable for your home setting.    This is as long as there is no concern he will cause harm to himself.  A general exception to any room in the house would be the bathroom and kitchen.  The kitchen has fire and hot items which could be dangerous and the bathroom is generally an unclean place.

Keep in mind that children with ADHD may need a room rather than simply sitting in one spot for their time-out period.  Their inability to remain still for an extensive period may lead you to unnecessarily enforce further sanctions due to their failure to be able to sit still for the duration. For older kids around 10 to 13 years of age, time-out can be waiting outside of the house.  This is used for extremely unruly children who are expressing defiance and showing their complete disregard to your 1-2-3 counting or stars off.  Be sure not to react emotionally when directing your child to go outside.  Give your child his warning of stopping the extreme behavior by the time you count to 3 or he’ll have to wait outside for 10 minutes. Outside time-outs are useful during periods when your child appears to be going through an “out of control” moment.  This works well with strong-willed children and those with ADHD.  Make sure his friends aren’t around outside before you send him out so he won’t have his companions to entertain him. Leaving the house can have a strong impact because your child is completely removed from participation in the home. It’s as if he’s an outcast.


Grandma Jeddah is the mother of 11 children and 13 grandchildren. She has taught hundreds of students for over 30 years at an Islamic school in Los Angeles, California.This is an excerpt from her book, Discipline without Disrespecting: Discover the Hidden Secrets of How to Effectively Discipline Your Muslim Child--And Keep Your Peace of Mind while at It.  Subscribe to her free newsletter at --http://www.grandmajeddah.com