Oh god. Evangeline is having a time-out.

[conuly]

She wanted to fingerpaint, so I set that up. First it's "No, I want to really use brushes" (tough luck, I don't know where they are at the moment), then it's "I can't do it myself" and then (when I'm done helping her) it's "I don't want to do it myself/clean up" and then it's "If you put me in time-out for neither painting nor cleaning up, I'll go to my ROOM instead" and then it's my personal favorite "I'm not ever going in time-out".

Word to the wise: If you're three? Don't say that. Connie is bigger than you. Up, down, hey - you're in time-out!

She's in time-out until she figures out what she's doing with the paint and paper on the floor, either using it or dumping it, her choice.

Comments

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

Time outs are supposed to be by age, though, aren't they? Not by what makes the caregiver feel better, or they lose their effectiveness for that round?

[conuly]

Depends on how you do time-outs. This time-out is "until Evangeline feels she is ready to leave time-out and be a participating member of society again". Which might be 20 seconds, or it might be 3 minutes, or it might be longer.

I figured that out with Ana - a "by age" time-out just left her frustrated and angry. Letting HER work out when she was ready to rejoin the family made for a much happier Ana.

[lizziey.livejournal.com]

Makes sense. :)

With Seth, he is DEFINITELY ready before 6 minutes, or so it would seem to anyone else. But let him out before "the time", and he knows he got off easy, and continues to be a brat.

Different kids, different approach.



Annika HATES her minute and a half time out. But drat it, if she doesn't go into it, she'll drive me TOO nuts to deal with. XD