She did not really know what a time out was.
So the kids and I all stood together, put a chair in a corner, and I explained: "We are only going to use kind voices. No fussy voices. No whiny voices. So if you want something, you may say, "May I please have . . . '"
I explained that if she whined, she would go in time out. Since she is 2 years old, she would stay for 2 minutes. I would stand with my back to the chair.
Then I explained to the other kids: "We cannot whine or use any voice other than a kind voice. We have to model kind voices for her. . . Even me!" They loved that, and understood the importance.
So the whole day, we were vigilant about Annie and her kind voice. She got 3 time outs. The other times, we corrected her, and she changed her voice immediately.
She seemed to like her little chair, the fact that I did not walk away, and the chance to get it right, and then to be applauded and to get a reward.
She was remarkable. When Ron came home after work, we had to use it one time, and Annie's polite little request for what she wanted shocked him.
Hooray! All in a day's work!
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