Eureka! I Think She Got It!

I think we are finally getting somewhere with time outs. Belle started out really well with Time Outs. If she wasn’t behaving we would ask her if she needed a time out, she would then answer yes, and put herself in it even though we were not putting her in a time out. She mainly gets time outs for hitting or doing something that will get her hurt and she isn’t listening to us telling her to stop.

After her time out we would talk to her about it. If she knew why she was in time out and that we don’t hit. It’s mainly for hitting. Last week I was in our bedroom putting laundry away and Belle walked in. She was just looking at things when she decided to put her little hand in-between the door and the wall, you know the side with the hinges. I told her about three times to take her hand out. We don’t put our hands in there you could get hurt. She didn’t listen, so finally daddy had to come. We decided on a time out because she wasn’t listening and she had to know you don’t do that, you could get hurt. After her time out we asked if she knew why she was in time out, she said the usual yes. So we asked her why expecting her to just sit there and not answer, again normal. But this time she got up walked to the door and pointed. She got it! She finally understood why she was in time out and that she should not put her hand in-between the door and wall. She has not done it again.

Now if we could just get her to understand we don’t hit. She goes in time out every time she hits, and thankfully it is not an everyday occurrence anymore. And after time out she can tell us why she was in time out, pointing at where she hit us. But then I tell her we don’t hit, and then follow up with do we hit our friends she answers yes still. Never ending battle, but it is getting better and I am hoping we get there soon.

I am so happy that she is getting it and understanding it more. Now if we could get her to listen better.