Rules for a Time Out

So after a few weeks of good behavior Fiona used that word again when we told her that no, she could not, in fact, wrap herself in her wet bath towel to go to bed rather than wear pajamas. Fiona shouted "basta" at us, we told her that was a time out, and then closed the door to her room.

At the last moment as the door closed I realized Buddy was standing in the corner of Fiona's room (he tends to hover around us right before bedtime, since bedtime immediately precedes dinnertime for him). Not wanting to open the door only to close it again, I decided to just leave Buddy in there.

Fiona, however, wasn't having any of it. Within five seconds after closing the door she started yelling "Buddy in here! Buddy in the room! No Buddy in the room!"

We decided to abbreviate the time out--the point had been made, and it probably wasn't doing our anxious cat any favors to be stuck in a room with a shrieking toddler, so I opened the door.

"Buddy in the room!" Fiona shouted.

"I know," I said, as I scooped Buddy up to usher him out of the room.

And, as I turned back to have a debriefing with Fiona after the time out, Fiona shut the door and started crying. It seems she knew she needed a time out but she was determined not to have it with Buddy in the room.

We went ahead and abbreviated the (second) time out, too.