Any ideas onConsequences for an 8 year old who has nothing to take away

Alana - posted on 05/22/2012

The nice thing about discipline is that you don't need money (or things)...children that age love having choices. When my boys were that age, being able to choose what to wear,for example, was a huge deal. It will depend on the child, SOMETHING matters to him...

Jurnee - posted on 05/21/2012

I like Kelly suggestions.I have done some of those with my son too. Also try to offer incentives for postive behavior, it can be something simple, like staying up late on a weekend, tv time, etc

Michella - posted on 05/20/2012

I also have an 8 year old son. We use chores around the house, like the chores that everyone hates doing. Depending on the offense we either keep the chores normal or make them harder. IE: using the swiffer to clean the floors vs scrubbing on your hands and knees. I have him doing all kinds of stuff, cleaning windows, vacuuming the stairs, cleaning the litter box, pulling weeds. And if it's not done right the first time he gets to do it all over again from the beginning.

Tamara - posted on 05/15/2012

The previous poster, Kelly, has the right idea. Logical or natural consequences to misbehaviors are the best way to go.
My favorite parenting resource is "Parenting with Love and Logic." www.loveandlogic.com is a great place to look for consequences to specific behaviors.(Look at the tab on the upper left called 'Parents: Solutions for Home" and then type in a keyword for the type of misbehavior you're trying to correct. I also recommend checking the book out from the library and reading it through, so you have a better understanding of their entire concept.
Rebecca C.: Positive consequences for good behaviors is definitely recommended, as well!

Kelsey - posted on 05/13/2012

Maybe you could take away some of his outside time. Maybe shorten it or something. Maybe there is a favorite show he likes to watch so maybe he can't watch it for a week or however many days you want to have him go w/o. Not sure what else, But just a couple of ideas.

Tammie - posted on 05/13/2012

My son is also 8 and recently his father and I divorced. I've had a hard time with these issues too. Nothing seems to matter except playing soccer. It's his passion and when I threaten no soccer he straightens up his act. Good luck!

Crystal - posted on 05/09/2012

I have an 8yo boy who doesn't care what you take away so I make him write sentences. It helps because he hates it. My aunt also uses things like push-up, sit-ups or walking. That has also worked for me in the past.

Kelly - posted on 05/07/2012

We use natural consequences rather than just taking stuff away, so the discipline would depend on the offense. Tell us what he gets in trouble for, and we can offer more specific ideas.

Here are some common issues for that age group....maybe these will help?
If he is earning poor marks, have him spend an additional 15-20 minutes studying each evening in that subject.
If he is not putting laundry away, don't wash it.
If he is not putting his dishes away after dinner, make him wash them himself.
If he is not helping with dinner prep, don't make his dinner.

Speaking disrespectfully is perhaps the most difficult...You just have to kind of lead by example on that one.
My usual response to J when he was being rude was "Do I speak to you that way?" and he would answer "No." and I would say, "Then do not speak to me that way. If you respect me, I will respect you, and I expect the same from you."

Does that help?

Rebecca - posted on 05/07/2012

Maybe offer rewards for good behavior to reinforce? His choice of dinner or dessert, special time spent with you out at the park or playground, etc. If he's getting good, happy feelings from doing good stuff he may be less inclined to misbehave. It's difficult, but there's always deals and lots of free stuff for families to do together.