Crying & time outs
ArcticFox
member
Sometimes my DD cries when I put her in time out (to be expected). I think a lot of times is because she doesn't expect that I'm going to put her in time out, but then she does it really loud and for attention (like over the top/fake).
It gets my 2 year old all kinds of worked up, so I tell her she needs to stop crying or she is going to have to go to her room or that time out will be longer.. but honestly I don't know what to do. Sometimes I've told her she can come out of time out when she's done crying.
But I don't feel like I'm handling the situation right.. I mean she is entitled to be upset (cry), but it's just the over the top part I don't like. Like tonight we were outside and she wouldn't stop the fake howling, and then my 2 year old freaked out and clung to me and pinched me so hard because she was panicking.. so I needed DD to take it down a notch or stop.
Any suggestions?
Re: Crying & time outs
I tell DD that "timeout doesn't start until you stop crying". If she is quietly crying/genuinely upset, especially if I think she feels bad about what she did, then I will start the timer right away. But the fake cry/howling for sympathy and attention means the timer doesn't start until she stops crying.
If she's melting down and sobbing but not necessarily in trouble (like I told her no and she's crying) then I will send her to her room to calm down and she can come out when she feels better. And sometimes I have to carry her up there, but once there she's usually ok to stay there.