Let's take a time-out from time-outs. Kids are going to test our limits - it's in their job description. But instead of dreading how to respond, parents can seize the opportunity to create activities that are educational and engaging.

Yes, punishments can be fun.

Creativity expert, professor, father and former daycare provider Rustin Wolfe applies his scientific techniques to some of life's smallest - but most exasperating - problems weekly at MinnMoms.com.

Here's one of his creative solutions:

Lock it up

Question: How can I get my four year-old to stop locking the doors in our house?

Behavior: Locking doors.

Problem: Inconvenient and potentially dangerous for parent to be locked out of rooms without access to child.

Solution: Carry a key.

Activity: When our son did this, I simply pulled out my Swiss Army knife and used the screwdriver to unlock the door. I then slid it back into my pocket as I entered the room. I didn't say a word; I never even acknowledged that he'd locked it. He had no idea how I did it. After the third time, there wasn't a fourth. Negative reinforcement in this situation could make matters worse. After all, it's fun to irritate parents. Better to ignore the behavior and let it fade away.

Want Rustin's solution for your child's challenging behavior? Post a question at MinnMoms Connect.

Read last week's

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problem and solution in the MinnMoms.com Expert Advice archive. Who is Rustin Wolfe? Education: Rustin Wolfe is an Associate Professor in the Doctor of Education in Leadership program at St. Mary's University of Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Psychology from the University of Chicago, where he worked under Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, author of "Flow" and "Creativity." Rustin received his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, with a major in Sociology and an individual major titled "Divergent Thought and Behavior." Rustin is a certified facilitator in Creative Problem Solving.

Childcare experience: As an undergraduate, Rustin worked as the lead teacher of a before/after school program. He has coached children of elementary age through college.

A month after he began working in daycare, Rustin knew something had to change or he'd burn out. The bad behavior was getting to him. Despite his good intentions, the kids kept breaking the rules. And he came to dread discipline. So, that's precisely what he changed. Rustin decided to let go of the traditional time-out in favor of more creative punishments. He figured out how to - in a twisted sort of way - look forward to the next opportunity to come up with a novel consequence.

Rustin set up rules: the punishment had to be a logical consequence, it should try to undo the wrong that had been done, it should prioritize the facilitation of future behavior over punishing past behavior, and it shouldn't be intentionally boring.

Philosophy: Time-outs are for when we can't think of anything better. Every moment is a learning opportunity. Rustin challenges parents and caregivers - himself included - to ask themselves: How can we take advantage of the opportunities before us when a child misbehaves?