So for months now (maybe longer...) I've been wondering where my perfect "time out" place would be. And I was even more perplexed when my friends would tell me that their child would just sit on the "naughty step" or stand in the corner for as long as they were in trouble. This baffled me, because I couldn't imagine a child just staying in one spot - I was convinced I needed a contained space so Jack/Declan would be in official "time out". I didn't want to use the cribs since I want good associations, and I contemplated the upstairs hallway with the gate shut and all doors closed (the "time out" corridor...) but the few times I tried this with Jack, he was pleased as could be, just running back and forth.
So the other day, Jack was playing really rough and whacked me and I'd had it. I marched him over to the bottom step and told him "no hitting!", and that he was to stay on the step because he was in trouble for hitting. And he did. I walked out of the room with my back to him and a big grin on my face because I was in complete disbelief that he was actually doing what I told him to do, and knew that there were consequences to his actions. I stayed in the dining room, smiling, and I put on a stern face when I would check in on him just staying on his step, maybe I'd say "no hitting!" again, and then I'd retreat back to the dining room and smile at this turning point.
Earlier today Jack pushed Declan (hard, in the head, they were competing for magnets on the fridge) and Javier put Jack in time out on the step and left him in the living room. Jack sat on the step totally subdued, and when I looked in on him he said "no pushing." and even when I left he stayed on the step and kept repeating "no pushing." After two minutes I went in and he said "Sorry Mama." And I told him he had to say sorry to Declan, and he did. Victory!
Today was a wonderful Saturday, spent mostly at home. We went out this morning to look at screen doors, but other than that, we puttered in the yard and the house while the boys napped at various times throughout the afternoon. Jack climbed his first tree (see photo, it's more of a tree-bush type thing, but still he had to navigate his way up the branch and down the branch). Declan still loves to tear apart the kitchen, he takes out all of the tupperware, and all of the dishtowels. Lately after he takes all of the dishtowels out of their drawer, he climbs into the drawer and plays with the drawers above him - see photo.
The one rough spot of the day - found a (deer) tick on Jack today. Ew. Fortunately I'm getting better at removing them. A few weeks ago I found two on Declan during bathtime, and I started sweating and my heart started pounding. This time it was more like "Sigh. Where are the tweezers?" I now have tweezers in the downstairs bathroom for this purpose. Those Tweezerman tweezers aren't cheap, but man are they good for pulling out ticks!
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