Discipline

So, we've been trying some new ways of disciplining as your 2-year-old spunk shows itself more with each passing day. Obviously we're sticking with the old standards, like if you throw something after I've told you not to, then it gets taken away. That almost always works. If you scream at me, I can't hear you. That usually works, though when you're really riled up you just don't care if I hear you or not.

But the biggies, like aggressively pulling the doggie's hair after we've told you not to, or hitting me or Daddy repeatedly... Those things have to be dealt with differently. So, we've officially jumped on the time out bandwagon. And you know what? It works. I don't know why I ever doubted it, not that I did really, I just wasn't sure you were old enough. Oh, but you are. We've only had to do it 3 or 4 times so far in the last week but it's effective. I remove you from the situation and place you on a dining chair, pulled sideways and away from the table. It's tall so you can't easily get down and don't feel tempted to try. It's in the dining room, which I keep dark when we're not eating, so it's lonely. You can still see me, and I don't watch you but rather ignore you (so you think; I'm really watching you out of the corner of my eye). You can't see the TV, or Daddy, and I make Princess stay away from you. After just a couple of minutes, I come over and talk to you about why you had a time out, give you a hug, and let you down. It works like a charm.

I'm sure next month I'll be lamenting the fact that it doesn't work anymore, but I think the key for us is not overusing it. That's a last resort when you've really done something naughty. Usually you're a good girl so we don't have to worry.

On a completely unrelated note, turning 2 means spending less money on daycare! I've been anxious to find out the savings and guess what? We're saving THREE DOLLARS a week. *sigh* It's a couple of tacos, right? Oh well.