Go to (play in) your room

When I was a kid, I remember thinking that the whole go-to-your-room punishment didn't make much sense. I mean, that's where I kept my toys. My room was a place to have fun, not a place to sulk and think about what I had done.

But I think I get it now. Sometimes go-to-your-room is a parent's desperate plea, an excuse for sending a misbehaving and obviously-bored child somewhere else to give him a change of scenery, and maybe, if the parent is lucky, the child will be distracted by another sea of toys and simply stay there.

Of course, there are times when a child may be legitimately distraught by his or her actions and will simply sulk and think. But often around here, the go-to-your-room "suggestion" simply means please go play somewhere else.

Is that so wrong?