Friday, December 18, 2009

Either Madeline or I is a glutton for punishment.

We have a problem at our house. It's called discipline. It seems very simple on the surface. When Madeline does something wrong, particularly something we've asked heruage not to do many times, she gets put on her timeout chair for a few minutes. At the end of a few minutes, she must explain to mom (in as eloquent language as she is capable of) what she did wrong, after which we give each other kisses and she can be on her way.

That's the the theoretical. In reality, it's a little more complicated. For starters, Madeline likes to put herself on timeout. If I walk in to see she's done something bad, before I can say anything, she'll raise her hands in surrender and yell, "Tine-Out!". Then she runs giggling to her chair and clamors up. She'll sit there smiling as proudly as if she were the Queen of England, and laughs every once in a while to remind me she's having a really good time. When she's decided it's been long enough, she puckers up her lips for a kiss. Then, when I let her down, she runs around pointing at herself and saying smilingly and matter of factly, "Naughty."

So basically Madeline does the whole ritual perfectly and compliantly, while mocking me the entire time and having the time of her life.

Are you allowed to punish a child for a successful timeout?

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