Time-Out

A long long time ago, giving Hooty ‘time-outs’ for bad behavior was as often as two or three times a day, especially during her ‘terrible-two’s tantrum’ phase. But as she grew older, and we were able to rationalise with her, they got far and few in-between. And for the past year or so, she has been a really good girl (‘touch wood ;o)’) that we have not given her any time-outs.

But lately, whenever we would reprimand her she would start being very rude and say ‘threatening’ remarks, like the following:

“When I grow up, I will NOT feed you!”
“When I grow up I will not buy you things!”
“I will NOT love you!”

I think she knows that when she grows up she’ll have more power ;o)
Anyway, yesterday she was very whiney during her bath-time and kept on crying for no apparent reason. Mind you, this was not real crying, just whiney crying just to get her way and she simply would not cooperate.

So, as a punishment, she was told that she can go straight to bed without a story. That led to more crying (real this time) and she started her usual rude utterances. We had warned her just the day before that if she talks to us that way, she will go straight to a time-out. So there she was…after a long long time…sitting on her ‘naughty-spot’ bowling her eyes out…