Time Out

Perrin's definitely reached an age where he is in need of regular discipline. His pediatrician told us at our last checkup that we can start experimenting with "time out." Generally the rule is that you put a child in time out for the same number of minutes as his age. But she admitted that it was unlikely we'd get Perrin to sit still for a full minute. She said 10 seconds was a more attainable goal.

So last week I decided to give it a try. I thought he'd probably fight against it or wouldn't sit still for a full ten seconds. But what ended up happening was something I totally didn't see coming. He loved it. He thinks time out is more hilarious than sneezes, wet dogs, and flashlights put together.

I'm not sure what to think about this. On one hand, can it really be considered a form of discipline or punishment if he thinks it's the coolest game ever? On the other hand, when he's throwing a tempter tantrum, time out immediately makes him calm down. He looks at the wall and giggles while I count, then he gets up a walks away acting like a civilized toddler once again.

I was talking to Trey on the phone one afternoon, explaining my dilemma. "Perrin actually likes time out," I said. "Can you believe it?" Perrin perked up when he heard me say "time out," and he immediately trotted over to his corner, plopped down on the floor, and patiently waited for me to start counting. "He's in his time out corner!" I told Trey. "He must have heard me talking about it!" So I counted to ten. Then Perrin got up and resumed playing with his Buzz Lightyear.

What a strange child we have.