Noting that current use of the disciplinary technique of timeout is often punitive, counterproductive, and damaging to children, this book presents suggestions to parents and teachers for making timeout a positive, motivating experience. Timeout, when used in combination with other techniques, can empower children to learn self control and self discipline while enhancing self confidence, courage, and self reliance. Timeout is defined and differentiated from punishment. Punishment and rewards are not effective long-term motivators and should be eliminated to make timeout more helpful. The book also examines how positive timeout provides children opportunities to enhance their innate ability to soothe themselves, and makes suggestions for involving children in creating a positive timeout area. Supervision, distraction, and redirection are presented as important techniques for children younger than three years. The book further discusses how parents and teachers can respond to children's misbehavior to help children stop misbehaving because of mistaken beliefs. The book examines why both children and adults resist timeout requests and explains how encouraging children can lead to trust, less inclination to misbehave, and more opportunities to learn self discipline and responsibility. The book also presents ways parents and teachers can help children evaluate the logical consequences of their choices. Attitude and action tools are described that better enable adults to implement positive discipline techniques. Behavior improvement is a lifelong process, and what matters most to children is that the important people in their lives love them and believe in their intrinsic worth. (Contains 16 references.) (KB)