I was at the paint store yesterday and it was another embarrassing experience. My rambunctious little guy was all over the place. I think I'm so tired I allow him to do way more than I should. He was running from end to end, grabbing paintbrushes and causing mayhem and madness! The clerk was rather patient until Kevin ran into the guy's office! It was definitely time for a time out, but a time out is hard to do on the go. I sat him down in a corner, but the floor was dirty and it seemed like a bad idea.
I looked online and found something cool. There's a portable time out mat out there complete with battery operated timer and a sad face on one side and a happy face on the other! I have to guess, I'm not the only parent who needs time out "on the run"! I'm thinking I could stick a homemade version right in my diaper bag!
Another time out dilemma: I heard that you should give kids a choice. For example, "You can come out of the office and behave or go to time out". But, my wild child always chooses time out! I think he likes the confused look on my face.
I found some tips online from the Child Development Institute, which suggest you should simply say, "Time out for going into the office". There should be no discussion. Kids from 2-5 years old should only go in time out for 2-5 minutes.
I'm going to give it a try!
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Check out this Time-out Mat for Tots.
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