Some of those parenting books suggest a time out be given to help correct poor behavior or calm a crazed child. Typically, I have found, the suggested allotment of time is one minute per year old.
Yesterday morning, after a mind-blowing hour and 45 minutes of pure chaos, meltdowns, items thrown and my hand slammed shut in the dishwasher door, I put myself in a time out. Mind you, he'd only been awake for about one hour and 46 minutes. And no, I didn't commit any of the aforementioned actions.
I should have been allotted about 27 minutes and 59 seconds. Perhaps I got gipped. However, the five or so minutes I shut myself in my bedroom (and listened to the little devil whom I love have at it) were just the thing I needed to correct my behavior -- I cried it out -- and calm my crazed nerves. Poor parenting? Well, perhaps that isn't what the parenting authors had in mind.
Regardless, the timing couldn't be more perfect. As of today, I get 28 minutes next time.
courtesy: Time Out, 2005 (book cover photograph) copyright of Julie Blackmon, courtesy Radius Books
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3 comments:
Happy Birthday to you!! I wish that you will have a great day and possibly a full, solo 28 minute time-out at a place of your choosing sans crying.
(P.S. I think the mommy time-out is always more effective than the toddler time-out!)
oh katie...well said, friend. i really hope it's the teething thing we talked about. gotta love a good meltdown - even when it's on our end rather than the 2 year old's. xo
hope your bday was fun! you deserve it.
oh man.... not looking forward to that stage. Good job with the time out though. you are beautiful.
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