8 surprisingly good discipline techniques—invented by kids themselves

If you’re a parent of the human variety, then at one time or another you’ve likely been stumped by the most effective way to discipline children. What to do? For answers, I presented some common scenarios to top experts: kids. If nothing else, keeping their answers in mind might help you feel a little less upset the next time one of your kids does something wrong.

What should a mom do if a kid has a temper tantrum and they’re on the floor screaming?

“Give them sleeping medicine. Or how about, like, just leave them until they stop and then you could talk to them.” — Gisele, 6

What should a mom do if a kid refuses to go to sleep?

“Sing a lullaby or give them milk or let them sleep in your bed or just let them be tired.” — Jeremy, 5

What should a mom do if she tells a kid to clean the dishes or put his stuff away and he doesn’t?

“Give the kid a bribe. Say, ‘If you do this, I’ll give you ten dollars.’” — Sabrina, 10

Wouldn’t that be a lot of money to give a kid every night for cleaning up dishes?

“OK, five dollars.” — Sabrina

What should a mom do if a kid tells a lie?

“She should tell him that even though his nose won’t grow long like Pinocchio because that story totally isn’t real, the kid should know that his mom will always find out because moms know that stuff so he will be busted.” — Josh, 8

What should a mom do if a kid keeps whining for a puppy all the time and won’t stop even though the mom doesn’t want to get the kid a puppy?

“The mommy should say, ‘Yes, we’ll get one’ and then the kid will stop asking. Then the mom has to really get one and not a stuffed animal.” — Margo, 4

What should a mom do if a kid isn’t doing their homework?

“She should say, ‘If you don’t do your homework you won’t get into a good college and you won’t get a good job and you won’t live happy!'” — Charlie, 9

What should a mom do if a kid breaks something and doesn’t tell them?

“Don’t give them any allowance. Or whatever they love doing, they can’t do it, like watch TV. They can’t do it for like three hours.” — Theresa, 8

What should a mom do if a kid is always teasing her brother and telling him he won’t have a birthday party?

“Tell the other kid he should say something back, like ‘I am and you’re not going to go shopping for clothes ever ever ever again!'”  — Melinda, 10

What should a mom do if a kid talks back?

“The mom should say, ‘You should be ashamed of yourself!'” — Finn, 7

And you think that will make the child understand it’s wrong to talk back and stop doing it?

“Maybe!” — Finn