A mom of two has gone viral on TikTok after sharing the four rules she says keep her 4- and 6-year-old sons so well-behaved that strangers now compliment their manners.
At a Glance
- Hannah began disciplining at 16-18 months, saying toddlers understand boundaries earlier than most parents think
- Consistency is her non-negotiable: if a rule is broken, the same 1-2-minute solo time-out repeats until the lesson sticks
- She demands polite acknowledgment from the boys every time she speaks to them so expectations stay crystal-clear
- Why it matters: Parents scrolling the clip say they want the same calm household and are copying her exact scripts
In the clip, which has racked up thousands of likes, Hannah explains that she rarely has to discipline the boys anymore because the foundation was poured early. “Starting young is a huge part of this,” she tells viewers. “If you start too late, your kids have already formed some really bad habits that are going to be really hard to break.”
The Four-Pillar System
- Start Early
Hannah introduced consequences at 16 to 18 months. She knelt to eye level, named the misbehavior, explained the correct choice, and ended with a one-minute time-out. If the behavior continued, the cycle restarted-sometimes for two straight hours.
- Stay Consistent
“Kids will take advantage if you’re not consistent,” she warns. The same offense always earns the same result, no exceptions.
- Demand a Verbal Response
Every request must be answered politely. “This way I know that they heard me, they know that they heard me, and they know that there’s a clear, set expectation.”
- Be Willing to Look ‘Unhinged’
When gentle reminders fail, Hannah amps the volume. She has yanked her kids out of library story time, stores, and McDonald’s play places mid-tantrum, driven home, and delivered a stern lecture plus an extra chore. “Sometimes your kids need to know that you mean business and you will not be taking their s— basically,” she says. “Kids need a parent, they do not need a friend.”
Where the Advice Comes From
Hannah credits her own mother, who raised seven biological children and dozens of foster kids. “I have seven siblings and growing up we were a foster family, so my mom has more parenting experience than anyone I know,” she tells News Of Losangeles. During the infant years Hannah phoned her mother daily; the older woman’s tips were “helpful, nonjudgmental and to the point.”
The One Tool She Never Leaves Home Without
Asked to name her single most effective parenting weapon, Hannah doesn’t hesitate: “Be consistent and mean what you say.”
She explains that children are born boundary-pushers-a trait she applauds in creative contexts-but test limits to learn where the walls are. Parents who waffle teach kids that rules are optional. “When they are trying to see how far they can push mom or dad until they break and they can get what they want, that’s when you really need to stay consistent and stick to your guns,” she says.
Comment sections under her posts are flooded with other caregivers vowing to copy the script, down to the exact wording she uses during time-outs. Hannah’s reply is always the same tagline: consistency beats charisma every time.
