More Time Outs

The time outs have been going pretty well. I have blogged about the need for time outs and how they are not very often. Sometimes we have to go through time out two or three times in a row because Abigail just doesn't care about the fact that she is sent to time out. She will go in for throwing something, for example, and then when she is done doesn't want to remedy the situation. She will either refuse to pick up what she threw or just throw something again. So back into time out we go. Lately, she is starting to turn the tables on us. The conversation used to be:

Me: "Abby, time to clean up."
Abby: "No."
Me: "Yes. Abigail it is time to clean up so we can go to the car. :
Abby: "Get Dolly?"
Me: "No, we have to go. Last warning. You need to clean up. Do you need a time out?"
Abby: "No." Throws toys across room.
Me: "We do not throw! Time out, now."

Now the conversations are taking a different course:

Me: "Abby, time to clean up."
Abby: "No."
Me: "Yes. Abigail it is time to clean up so we can go to the car.
Abby: "Time Out?"
Me: ::Baffled:: "Um, do you need a time out?"
Abby: "Yes. Sit in time out" And walks over to her time out mat and sits down.
After about a minute passes...
Abby: "All done time out?"
Me: "Sure. All done time out."
Abby then walks over to clean up.

So far we have had about 50% success with this. Sometimes she sits in there for the attitude adjustment and sometimes she just goes back to not doing what I am asking. Then it has to be followed by a real time out.

I don't think she is doing anything that is time out caliber but if she really wants to sit in time out, who am I to argue? Hopefully she will continue to do things like this by herself...like going to the potty. More on that in a future blog. Stay tuned!