PARENTS SHOULD USE "TIME-OUT" JUDICIOUSLY.

• Position: Not effective in long term - Brief Article

The use of a "time-out" may be an effective way for parents to control youngsters' behavior in the short term, but it will not teach children to manage their own behavior as they grow older, argues Judith Myers-Walls, an associate professor of development studies, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind. "I've heard a lot of pediatricians recommend this form of discipline almost like a prescription. The recommendation is one minute of `time-out' per year of the child's age and per infraction. But it's not that simple, and it shouldn't be automatic."

She says that discipline is ideally about teaching, and parents must remember that there is not a single teaching method that will always work in every situation with every child. Moreover, while the "time-out" method can be effective if a child is losing control, it should not be used as a form of punishment. "If a child's behavior becomes unmanageable and inappropriate for a certain situation, it can be helpful to remove him or her from that situation and give the child private time and space to...