I'm still battling...from 2-5.  Both of my girls hate having to sit in the corner...just like I did when I was their age.  I do one minute for their age (3 yr old = 3 minutes)  And then try to talk to them about what they did that was wrong.

Hope this helps.

Tanya, 

I swear the 3's and so much worse than the so called "terrible-twos".  I have two 3 year olds and there are some days I really think I will lose my mind.  Yesterday they spent so much time in time-out that they eventually fell asleep for 2 hours in bed.  It saved my sanity ha ha.  My little boy sounds similar to yours, he does not hear the word 'no'.  I must have told him at least 10 times yesterday not to turn on the tap in the backyard, yet every single time my back was turned, he would turn it on and flood the yard because he wanted to jump in mud puddles.  Then the mud would be trekked into the house.  I would put him in time out and he would do it again.  Even when I banned him from going outside and made him play indoors, it only took me going to the bathroom or putting clothes away upstairs and he would unlock the door and turn the tap right back on again.   Thank goodness my little girl will listen to no and time-outs do work for her, but the ear-piercing screaming could leave me with a burst eardrum.   She is very particular and very set in her ways and is very quick to point out if I have not done something to her standards.

Tonya, That sounds like how my little girl will be too.  She can already at one hit octave's that I have only heard from Mariah Carey!

well,as a Mom of 6 an grandmother of 5,I called the terrible 2's,then the 3's the" God Awful Three's",they were so much worse than the 2's were,an then it got a bit better an they turned in to TEEN"S,OMG,my Mama always said when they are little they step on your feet an then when they get bigger they step on your heart,mine range in age from 18-35yrs.so the problems just get larger in size,an what works on one kid wont work on another,found that out real soon,hang in there kiddo,you will survive an so will they!

Vickie, 

The "terrible 3's" hit us too. We are a month from her fourth birthday and it's like there is finally a light at the end of the tunnel.
I've always gotten through hard "mommy times" by remembering something my Mom told me when my oldest was born and we were in the hospital. A nurse had just tried to tell me I was holding the baby too much, and my Mom stepped in and told the nurse to mind her business and go find someone else to give advice to. She turned to me and said that I should hold my Baby as often and as long as I wanted. I should hold her that day because she is only going to be two days old, just this one day, and I should hold her. That stuck with me.
So later on when she was ten months old and teething and screaming and I thought I was going to lose my mind, I picked her up and rocked her in a chair and kept reminding myself that she was only going to be ten months old, just this one time, so despite it being difficult I could get through it.
Reminding myself that it doesn't last forever really helps!

WOW Alisha, I loved that!  What a great way to see past the hard times.  Thank you so much for sharing such a positive way to get through those rough days.  I really appreciate you taking the time to post it.  Just BEAUTIFUL!  Your mom sounds like a pretty great lady.  I loved that she told the nurse to scram.  Good for mom!

I have a terrible 3 daughter now and what seems to work the most with her is taking away her favorite things,Reagan loves to play nintendo DS and sh loves to color and read her books so those are the first things to be taken when she is bad.I put them in a place she can see but not get to and she gets them back after she finishes (she loves to get up from the table and play while eating and hates to pick up her room) or after a certain time depending on what she did.With my boys it was the Fearsome Fours that were the hardest..I hope Reagan skips that one..lol.

Hi Amanda,