i was never locked in my room as a young child,but once i got to about 11 my behaviour got much worse, when my parents grounded me i just sneaked out the house,eventully they got so fed up they put a lock on my door that could only be locked or unlocked with a key. the following saturday after another week of bad behaviour, i was sent to my room and locked in at first i did"nt care, but after a couple of hours i was extremly bored and fed up, i told my parents i learnt my lesson, please would they let me out,NO was their answer, i spent the whole day shut in my room it was horrible i really hated it. my room was small and i wanted out, after this punisment i think my behaviour improved, yes there were occasions where i had to be locked in my room again once for a whole weekend,(very serious offence)but overall my behaviour got much better if ever i got grounded again i made sure i stayed in the house,i did"nt want to be punished like that again. my point is i think locking kids in their rooms is a excellent form of punisment, yes it"s not pleasent, but that"s the point of punishing them it certanly dos"nt do them any harm, although i think it"s not suitable for young kids they could find it scary, but as for teenagers that won"t stay grounded, ( LOCK THEM UP )

If I may be so bold as to say who the hell is Sue Bradford kidding. I thought Nigel Latta was a psychologist and Bradford was an ex politician who I might add was not a real politician anyway as mung bean eating tree huggers are exactly that so who the hell does she think she is. If locking up my kids for time out is going to work then the PC brigade can kiss my you know what.

Bradford states that locking children in small areas is detrimental to the child wellbeing, well I have to agree to that BUT madam Bradford I am not locking my kids in a small non ventalated cupboard or below floor room etc I am putting them in their room which has all their books toys etc and I can calm down as well as the child so there. Keep your PC mouth shut and let real parents be parents unlike yours who obviously treated you badly.

I say give parents a break and let them parent their kids the way we are supposed to and you won't have little thugs and bad kids running around doing bad to the rest of society. I can guareentee that a child that is properly disciplined will be better adjusted than most and by the way the law states that assault is not on for ALL people this includes kids as well so why the hell did we need this law in the first place.

Rahul #166 "The bible says I can hit my children. I'll let god be my judge as to whether I am doing the right thing by my kids."

There we have it! This is the sort of person who looks up to Nigel Latta and hears lock your kids up and hit them when your angry. Rahul shouldn't God have a capital letter?

Liberator, that is what I call good ole common sense.... well done!!

Ther term "postive parenting" is more one of opinion, than on of fact. I judge parenting by the outcome, not necessarily the method.

I believe parents who feel ashamed at upholding rules and imposing discipline actually feel in constant fear of being resented by their children. They might have some resentment, at first. But, as the vast, vast majortiy of parents have experienced since the dawn of time, it DOESN'T last. All is forgiven. Why? Becasue, chidlren will basically accept discipline from anyone who they know loves them. THAT is trust. THAT is postive. And, the vast, vast majority of children have grown up NOT resenting their parents.

So, do what YOU feel is right for YOUR child to produce the outcome YOU are satisfied with. THAT is postive. You DO NOT need help. You DO NOT need advice. But, those who are afraid of disiplining their children will be amonsgt those who will ALWAYS need the "help". Is there a pattern here?

The bible says I can hit my children. I'll let god be my judge as to whether I am doing the right thing by my kids.

Soooooo glad that almost everyone on this blog thinks Bradford is full of BS. Just go to show there is still some common sense in this country. Bradford would probably suggest that you make them a cup of tea and discuss what they have done and tell them that it's OK to do whatever they want because its a form of expression. This women has been the most damaging thing to parenting in the last decade.

This is the guy who completely believed the Sensing Murder psychics were genuine, right?

smack, wait, talk.

If you need to place your children in a room locked with a bolt, so your anger can subside - I've got some advice for you.

You need to get some help! Whether it be a help line, plunket, Barnadoes, parenting books, meditation. There are so many ways to help you deal with these issues. Seriously if you need to lock a child in a room, something is wrong. It has nothing to do with the child.

Shame on Nigel Latta for not promoting positive parenting and encouraging people to ask for help if they are struggling.