Time-In: When Time-Out Doesn't Work

Arguing that what children need most from their relationships with the adults in their lives is connection and trust, Time-In provides a process for “getting through” to children. The approach teaches children how to be competent, to think, and to succeed by using four tools—Ask, Act, Attend, and Amend—that can be put together like interchangeable pieces of a puzzle. Parents can use these tools when they want their children to listen and think (the parent asks), change their behavior in a positive way (the parent acts), pay attention to what they or others need (the parent attends), or right a wrong that they have done (the child amends). This parenting approach is useful for preventing many behavioral problems characteristic of children from ages 1 to 12.

Jean Illsley Clarke is the author of Who, Me Lead a Group? and a coauthor of How Much Is Enough? She lives in Minneapolis. Cary Pillo is the illustrator of Where Is My Mommy? Her work has also appeared in PEP Talk, a quarterly for parent educators. She lives in Seattle.