Natural / Logical Consequences

So one of the first things I learned about in my ed classes was "natural / logical consequences" for misbehavior. Just thought this might be an interesting topic for discussion.

First of all, there are no "punishments," there are consequences. What's the difference? A punishment is something you do TO the child. It's not connected to the misbehavior. A "consequence," on the other hand, is something that naturally/logically results from the misbehavior. Consequences are things that we need to deal with in real life, forever. A good thing to learn, no?


So, how do you choose an appropriate consequence?
First, ask yourself if there is a natural consequence for the behavior, and perhaps you can leave it at that.

Examples of natural consequences:
• Carelessly breaking a toy -- do not replace the toy (or, make the child pay for it if he/she wants it back.)
• Repeatedly forgetting/losing their lunch money -- Let the child go hungry for a day.


If there isn't an obvious "natural" consequence, then you try to choose a logical consequence.

Examples of logical consequences:
• Mistreating a toy - child is temporarily separated from the toy.
• Acting like a jerk during a group activity - child is temporarily separated from the activity.
• Being mean to another person - child is temporarily separated from the person.


The "Time Out" is a good "catch-all" logical consequence for various misbehaviors. It separates the child from the problem, gives the child a chance to think about what they did wrong, and also gives them a chance to later return to the problem and make it right.
I think the only difference is that in some cases, I think it's more appropriate to separate the child/problem for a whole day instead of "one minute per year of age." For example, if the child has a horrible tantrum during family game night, perhaps the child should not be allowed to participate for the rest of the night. If they're not playing nice with their toys, take the toy away for the whole day.

Thoughts?

I don't know if I've lived 10,000 days, or one day 10,000 times...