(no subject)

[semperfiona]

Yesterday morning about eight, the girl got herself up while we were all asleep, put on clothes, and went outside. She was halfway to Leo's house when Chris caught up with her; he'd heard the doors opening, thank gods.

That's the second time this spring she has gone walkabout on a Sunday morning. Time outs aren't working to stop it, and there's not really any deprivation punishment I can think of that makes sense in this context either. She wasn't going to be watching TV anyway.

Comments

[gasslight.livejournal.com]

Put a high lock on the door and stop punishing her for it. Explain that little children simply are not allowed to go out without their parents' knowledge and permission.



Or at least that's what I'd do. When we moved to a new house that had more than 1 door (unlike our apartment) both boys were wont to just leave via the garage. I finally put a sign at their eye level that said, "Did you remember to ASK to go outside?" I don't think they could even read all the words, but they knew what it said. And that worked.

[eghost.livejournal.com]

Could be worse. I know someone with a five year old who likes to "go walkabout". Last time, she got brought home by the cops. No fun for the parents. Have you had the chat with Rosa about dangerous people? That seemed to work on C. Explaining that not all people are nice and some like to hurt little girls was enough to make sure she doesn't wander off much. It's never fun to traumatize the kid, but I'd rather she know the truth and therefore understand the meaning of the rule. Good luck and hugs.