jun, 20th - conversations with a two year old....

day 863:

disciplining a two year old.....yikes, it requires a lot of commitment and follow through.

we introduced timeout quite awhile ago and it's worked for us.....i prefer timeout to the naughty step because well, we don't have any stairs for one (making it tricky to implement a step punishment) and secondly you can do timeout anywhere.....we've had to implement it in an airport, a shop, a friend's house.....my only rule is that if we give Limi her two warnings and that doesn't work then we have to follow through with the timeout. we always insist that Limi looks at us and apologises after timeout (i think it's so important to learn to say a sincere sorry, gracefully) and after that we always explain why she went into timeout, then give her a squeeze and tell her how much we love her.

it seems to be working for us at this stage. generally now, we only have to give two warnings without having to follow through with the timeout.....which is a lot less traumatic on all of us. except, over the past weekend....she seems to have sussed this punishment out:

[Limi had scattered some brochures from the holiday cottage all over the floor of the kitchen]

Me: Limi, please can you pick up these brochures and put them back in the basket

[repeat 3 times]

[Limi acting up and ignoring me]

Me: Limi, I'm giving you two warnings and then timeout

[Limi still acting up]

Me: That's one warning

[Still ignoring me]

Me: That's two warnings

[Limi reluctantly walks to the brochures and starts to pick one up, then she comes across to me and says....]

Limi: Mama, I want timeout.

my sister burst out laughing and i was trying, unsuccessfully, not to crack my stern facade. she had obviously worked out that timeout was far more fun than picking up all the brochures. time to implement plan B.

p.s. she picked up all the brochures.