Several weeks into the plan, I received an email from Mom who told me that Popeye’s hitting had all but disappeared. During Popeye’s “rehab,” his parents cleanse his room of entertainment. As soon as she is able, Mom is to retrieve Popeye from school, take him home, confine him to his room for the remainder of the day and put him to bed immediately after supper. That backfired, as such silly approaches to discipline nearly always do.Īt wit’s end, Popeye’s mom asked my advice, which I gave as follows: When Popeye hits, his teacher is to immediately remove him from class, take him to a neutral “holding zone,” and call Mom. His teachers tried various approaches, including rewarding him with a treat on days when he didn’t hit. A 4-year-old – I’ll call him Popeye – had a habit of hitting other children in his preschool program.
