Dear the OlLine Rebel,
"Does 'time out' work when the young child 1st tries to run out in the street (and does so even with a warning)?"
I thought we were talking about punishment.
"No physicality or 'yelling' needed there?"
I thought we were talking about physical means of punishment. From an earlier post of yours:
"People against spanking (and I'll say HITTING,..."
Hitting isn't yelling.
I don't think I ever suggested that I wouldn't physically restrain a child from harm. I also don't think I said that I've never raised my voice to my children. I'm Italian, ya know. ;-)
However, that's different from physical punishment. Sometimes when crossing the street even today with my kids, I may unconsciously put my hand out to keep them from going into the street before I think it's safe. That's hardly a spanking or a slap.
My sons, especially the younger one, have certainly done things that required immediate physical restraint. I still didn't hit 'em. Usually, in those circumstances, they didn't get a time-out, either. Just a quick explanation that the act was dangerous, why it was dangerous, and not to do it again. Only repetition of previously-made errors merits punishment.
sitetest
I thought we were talking about discipline, not mere punishment!
It's hard to "explain" lots of things to young children. They really don't care, and don't totally understand the language, either.
Others may start to do something dangerous, but don't listen, and a good smack is really the only thing with serious impact that will stop it immediately, as a rule. My sister in fact, is 1 with an infamous story about this when she tried to step out in a road despite Mom's verbal warning from some feet away. Mom moved fast when she obviously specifically defied her and went in the street anway. She would've been yanked away and given a smack. And that ended it. Period.
In dogs, it is pretty well known that if you simply push, the dog will resist and hence still do exactly what he wants (just as your muscle will adjust to steady pressure and it won't hurt). If you let him loose except when he "does bad/wrong", giving him a quick impactful tap, he'll notice and learn quicker what he's to do. Even Cesar Millan acknowledges this, and he's hardly "cruel". He recognizes what goes on in nature.