If you have ever watched the hugely popular series

The typical Caribbean

parent would shake their head in disbelief at the shenanigans the children were

allowed to get away with.

As many nations

do not promote or advocate corporal punishment as a form of discipline for bad

behaviour, those parents often rely on taking away of toys and electronic

devices or ‘time out’ which totally flabbergasts many from the Caribbean. Whether

you agree is one thing but have you ever considered if ‘timeouts’ could actually

work here?

A ‘time out’ is

a form of child behavourial modification technique in which a child is put in a

specific place, usually a corner, where there are no distractions or things to

stimulate them. They are made to sit or stand still for a period of time until

the parent or guardian decides they have done enough. Some experts advise the

time spent should be relevant to their age, meaning a four-year-old should

spend no more than four minutes and a six-year-old up to six minutes or

so.

But would a time

out work on Caribbean children? It depends. If they were introduced to it from

early, then they will be socialised to accept it. Also, if they are raised in

an environment where parents calmly outline why punishment is being given

before it is done, they are more likely to accept the consequences of their

actions. Just sticking a child in a corner and expecting them to comply will

not cut it.

It is also important to note that no punishment will work on all children, so know the child be cognisant of the age child that you are dealing with since ‘time out’ loses its effectiveness the older they get.