Time Out

Well, this is not a fun to post to write.....but this blog is the good, the bad, and the ugly...and we want to remember it all. Miles has become a hitter & a biter. The first step is admitting we have a problem, right? I know...he's two...and that's what happens....it's still not fun. And, it doesn't feel good when your child acts up. He's been doing it at home for a couple weeks, but today when I picked him up at daycare one of his teachers said that he was hitting today. She was a little concerned b/c that is out of character for him. I had to break the news....that while she was being very gracious in thinking that he wasn't feeling good....he's actually been doing the same thing at home.

I talked here about our (my) hesitation with spanking, but that we had been using that as our form of discipline b/c nothing else worked. Now when we spank him he retaliates by hitting us. It seems kind of crazy to spank him, which in his mind is hitting, for hitting us. He has developed a temper lately and spanking just seems to ignite it.

So, we've started using the Super Nanny time out. Our time out spot is by the front door on the welcome mat. He has to stay for one minute. Occasionally he will stay the first time without getting up at all. More frequently he gets up A LOT and we have to continually take him back. Finally he will stay his one minute at which point we explain why he had to sit there, make him apologize and then we hug it out. By the way, listening to him say sorry has to be one of the sweetest things I've ever heard. As he says sorry, he's already leaning in to hug.

I guess we will ride this out until it isn't effective anymore. Right now it seems to calm him down. In a few instances it seems to have deterred him when I gave him a warning and told him he will have to go to time out if he does whatever he's doing wrong again. Most of the time he isn't seeming to connect the dots. He's not even two, so I don't pretend he should be able to assess the consequences of his actions yet.

We love our little hitter and biter just the same. He's just so darn cute, you can't be frustrated for long...