Effective Discipline

You know you've found an effective punishment when your child asks if you can just spank her instead. Hope has had to spend the day in her room, and has twice yelled down the stairs, "Can I come downstairs and you can spank my bottom?" What nutso kid asks to be spanked?? She deliberately colored on the kitchen table for the second and third time this morning, so she got sent to her room. I actually told her at first that she was going to get spanked and asked her if she wanted me or David to spank her. She said David, so I just took all her markers away and made her quit coloring. Then she changed her mind half an hour later, and it didn't seem as effective to spank her then, so I sent her to her room for the rest of the day. It's killing her to be up there by herself. She's yelled down here about a few different things- wanting some stuff that was up on a shelf, telling me about the weeds in the back yard-real important stuff. I know she's been up there long enough to learn her lesson, but I told her she had to stay there till David got home and, honestly, my ears are enjoying the break! But at least I won't be as likely to spank her anymore when I've seen how well just sending her off by herself works.