A couple more questions though. What do you do when your child doesn't listen to you in places that you can't use the naughty step? For example, last night in the bath tub, my son wouldn't stand up when I needed him to in order to rinse him off. I had to physically stand him up (killing my back in the process) and then he still wanted to sit back down.

I also can't get him to keep his mouth open when brushing his teeth. Should I take him to the naughty step then?

Finally, what do I do about this situation…Yesterday morning at 5:00am, my son woke up asking for a certain toy that I hadn't seen in months. We looked for the toy and couldn't find it. He kept asking for it all day and when he woke up this morning, (a little later today – 5:45), he still was asking for it. Do I just ignore his requests?



Hi Tina,

To answer your questions, pull the plug! If he doesn't listen to your warning (which is pull the plug), literally pull the plug on the whole scenario. If you can see he's being defiant, open the drain so he's not playing in the water. You don't give your kid the naughty step for not standing up in the bath. He hasn't done anything majorly wrong, then he's just not listening to you. It's about encouraging the kid and telling him when he's expected to do.

And when brushing his teeth, he needs encouragement. Sing the happy birthday song, it's the correct amount of time children should brush their teeth for. Lead by example and brush your teeth together.

As for the toy, let it go. If you can't find it and he doesn't know where it is, don't go crazy. Keep it light, tell you child "We've looked, it's around here somewhere, it will show up." Don't ignore his requests, but show him that you've listened and you've acted upon it and just say "Hey love, this is how it is." You can only do what you can do.

Best wishes,

Jo x

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