I have always been big on letting the punishment fit the crime. Even when my daughter was 2 1/2 years old, if she acted too babyish I responded by treating her like a baby.

If she whined instead of using her words, I would hold her in my lap. After all, her toddler toys would be much too dangerous for a sweet little baby. She enjoyed the extra attention until she saw a family pet walk by or until dinner time came and I popped open a jar of baby food.

Unconventional, maybe. But it worked. And I would always let her be my big girl again after proving she really can do big-girl things, like speaking or helping clean up her own mess.

My daughter's most recent offense has been her habit of stuffing dirty socks in the couch. ... Oh how I loved creating a punishment for this offense! (Does enjoyment of disciplining my child make me mentally unwell?)

The way I see it, the worst thing about socks stuffed in the couch cushion is when an unsuspecting victim, while looking for the remote control or something that fell out of their pocket, gets a handful of dirty socks! After multiple warnings and "I forgot"s, I told my daughter that her punishment would be to hand wash someone else's socks.

She thought she was smart. After being told that she would have to hand wash socks, she did not stuff her socks in the couch again until we did laundry, ensuring that there were no dirty socks in the house. (other than what she had just taken off) .. I may have found a couple.

It was funny. My little 8-year-old couldn't believe that she had to touch socks! She got her revenge, though. She washed them in strawberry-scented shampoo.

I have been eagerly awaiting the next time she stuffs some dirty socks in the couch! I want my feet to smell like strawberries 🙂 But for some reason, over a week has gone by, and she just keeps putting her socks up in the hamper.