Drawing the line - discipline is no fun

Yesterday, I drew the line and gave Liam a dose of what discipline means now that he is three.  We were outside playing with his neighborhood buds and he hit his friend, Ella.  I warned Liam that if he hit or was mean to one of his friends again we were going inside and playtime would be over.  Sure enough Liam was playing unfairly with his buddy Evan and when I intervened, Liam hit me.  I held firm to my warning and told the kids that Liam had to go inside and that playtime was over.  Liam immediately started crying and telling me that he would be a good boy and that he was sorry. I thanked him for his apology and said I was glad to hear that he was going to behave, but that all actions have consequences and ending playtime was his consequence. 

I knew once we got inside Liam would want to watch TV and once the TV was on, he’d be perfectly content and would forget about what just happened outside.  So, I went a step further and said no TV when we got inside.  Boy, this did not go over well.  Tantrum number two broke out.  It took a good twenty minutes before Liam calmed down and agreed to play a game with me. 

I’m not sure if I was being too harsh.  I suppose I did give him the consequence of not playing with his friends.  I doubled it by saying no TV.  But I feel like I need to be more of a disciplinarian when it comes to being physically aggressive.  The tantrums are painful, but they end eventually.  And I hate being the disciplinarian, but kids need it.

I’m not sure how most households deal with the discipline thing, but it seems like there is one parent who ends up being the disciplinarian.   In our home, it’s me; I’m the “bad guy.”  When I was growing up, it was my father.   I’m sure the best set up is for the discipline to be equal between mom and dad.  Easier said than done.  Joe only sees the kids for about an hour each night when he gets home from work and the last thing he wants to do is discipline.  So, I’m usually stuck with being the one who ends the fun – establishes bedtime, limits TV watching, referees playdate disputes, etc. 

Anyone have thoughts or suggestions on how to make the discipline thing fairer between mom and dad?