My Epic Fail

I've been dreading this day...for a long time.  I knew at some point, saying no, explaining, and redirecting Samuel would not work as a form of discipline.  We had a good run...a little over 2 years.  All good things have to come to an end though.

Samuel has recently taken up biting, scratching, and pinching.  He doesn't do it out of malice.  He does it out of excitement!  He see's his favorite cartoon character or hears a song he likes...he comes running with a pinch or a bite!  My poor arms are scratched to pieces.  We explained to him that he cannot do this, but it continued.  So we started in on the stern NO and ignoring him.  I've told him I don't play with little boys that scratch/pinch/bite.  But it's continued.  So I read, I researched, and a more drastic punishment was needed...the time out chair.

I get the concept.  I even found a super cute design I wanted to paint on our time out chair.  So I decided the next time the behavior happened, one warning followed by the 2 minutes in the chair.  It was necessary. Eric agreed...the behavior had to stop!!!  My arms, legs, chest, face couldn't take it anymore...neither could Eric.  Thankfully the excitement was aimed only at us and he's never pinched, scratched, or bit anyone else!

A couple weeks ago, the warning was issued.  Then another scratch.  TV off, toys removed, stern No!, chair pulled out, and Samuel's butt placed in it with an explanation as to why he was there.  Timer was set.  Seriously, sometimes I impress myself.  Twelve seconds into it, Samuel started giggling.  Then waving at me.  Then looking at the chair.  And the door.  More waving at me.  As my confidence began to deflate...I thought maybe I needed to leave the room too.  So I went to another room and waited....(and took these pictures in secret from around the corner!)

Yep, he caught me!  He was thrilled by the chair!



When I returned 2 minutes later, I was ready to talk to Samuel and explain to him that I still loved him and that when he gets excited that he needs to clap his hands and stomp his feet, not bite or scratch...but I returned to Samuel not sitting in the chair...instead this is what I saw:

2 chairs!!!!

Samuel realized I had returned, rushed to get back in his chair...

Then asked me to join him!!!!

How thoughtful...a time out chair for me! 

He also sang a round of Old McDonald Had a Farm for me.

So I chalked this up as an epic failure.  Took more pictures of said failure.  And took a seat in the time out chair to think about what I had done...and to plot a new direction of punishment!

In the meantime, the biting has decreased, and a new form of punishment has been found.  Warning followed by immediately taking away whatever excites him.  It works.  Thank goodness!  Time out chair will be attempted again in the future...when apparently I figure out how it works :0)