Time-Out

So we've started implementing time-outs with Da'Gorgeouses lately. I suppose we should have done it sooner, but better late than never. It seems to be going well so far. While camping Da'Gorgeouses witnessed their cousin in a few time-outs, they'd heard of it before, in books & sometimes mamá imposed a time-out on herself, but they'd never actually experienced one. Over the last week or so, we've used it for biting, hitting each other (or us), and throwing food on the floor, it's 2 minutes of isolation (in a corner--or their highchair turned away from the rest of us), no one talks to them unless its mamá telling them in a stern voice to turn back towards the wall (an approaching sissy is told not to speak to the sissy in time-out). I've noticed just recently that they have occasionally put themselves in a time-out (which I suppose is a good thing)---it's hard sometimes not to laugh because they look so darn cute facing the wall and saying time-out. Upon their release I tell them not to do "said thing" that put them in time-out and to say "sorry" to their victim and give them a kiss. Pistol has a little trouble saying sorry, but she will offer up a kiss. LongRifle has no problem saying "sorry" and will sometimes say it FOR Pistol.

So today LongRifle was given a time-out at Grammy & Welo's house after kicking her sister several times because she was invading her space. I told her she was going to get a time-out and sat her in the corner of the hallway. She turned her head a few times, I spoke sternly to her, she faced the wall again and then began crying. When her time was up I turned her around told her not to kick sissy anymore and walked her over to say sorry and give her a kiss. She did. A few minutes later she was trying to get my attention, became angry and started hitting me (I didn't notice until my dad called attention to it) and I told her she was going to get a time-out. She immediately walked over to the same corner I'd put her in and sat down. Welo made sure she stayed facing the wall, when her time was up she said sorry and gave me a kiss.

Just so you know, neither DrillSgt. or I got time-outs when we were growing up, there was no such thing. Although I wasn't an angel, I will say when called for, I was disciplined the old-fashioned way (with the added explanation---which I had to provide---it taught me to take responsibility for my actions, and that there were consequences). So is this how they're supposed to work?!