Creativity expert, professor, father and former day care provider Rustin Wolfe writes a weekly MinnMoms parenting advice column that uses creative punishments to put a positive spin on negative behavior.

Here's one of his creative solutions:

TONGUE-TWISTED

Question: How can I get my bratty daughter to stop sticking her tongue out at me?

Behavior: Sticking out tongue.

Problem: Disrespectful.

Solution: No serious harm is being caused by this attention-seeking behavior, so your best strategy is to ignore it.

Activity: While you might playfully try to catch her tongue, instead of creating a deterrent, that may only turn it into a game. Similarly, responding punitively (e.g., hot sauce) can encourage more bad behavior since you're rewarding her with attention, even if it's of the negative variety. So, I'd recommend saying once that it's not appreciated and then ignore her. Let her stand there with her tongue drying out, and see how long she keeps it up.

  • Want Rustin's solution for your child's challenging behavior? Send questions to naughtycolumn@gmail.com.

  • Read the Naughty Column archive at http://www.minnmoms.com/naughtycolumn.
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