TIME OUT!

TIME OUT! Some of you may think time out for a child Weston's age (14 months) is too soon. I seriously think he knows when he does something wrong (hitting) and why he is in time out. The only time we have put him in time out is if he hits me or Chad.  I have researched about this topic and most people say 18 months is about the time they started putting their child in time out. As a former kindergarten teacher I made sure my students knew their expectations. We had tons of fun and acted silly all the time. I was a pretty cool teacher (I think), but my students knew that they could not get away with anything either. As a parent, I want to have high expectations for my children and I want them to know that it is unacceptable to disrespect.  I guess I feel that I need to start at an early age so it does not get out of control. 

Weston always gets a warning. So if he hits me in the face (that is usually what happens) I tell him no and that it hurts mommy. If he does it again, I put him in time out and tell him that he cannot hit me. Most of the time he will sit there with a frown on his face and sometimes he will try to crawl away with  a lil' snicker. What a stinker. Right now timeout lasts for about a minute (or less).  After time out I tell him why he was put there and then I give him a hug so he knows that I still love him! I think it works!!

Weston's time out spot.