Terrible Twos

Here it is...Rocco's first time out, back on October 22. Rocco is the sweetest, most snuggly little guy 95 percent of the time. It seems as though he is always happy. But let's be honest. He's a toddler--two years old no less--and he can really let his temper rip. My favorite times are when he decides to do it in public. He has no shame when it comes to throwing himself down on the floor. He doesn't really do the kicking and screaming thing once he down there, however. He's typically face down and does more of a "I-can't-take-any-more-and-I-can't-even-walk" thing. He just lies there like a slug. And don't even think about picking him up. To borrow the words of our favorite author Mo Willems, he goes completely boneless.

Back to the time-outs. They are heart-breaking. I'm not sure for whom they're worse. He instantly makes me feel as though I have ruined his entire life. Through his sobs, he manages to get out a few, "I re-ee to be goo boy, Mommy." This is a bargaining tactic he has picked up from his brother. Turns out that I threw around the "when you're ready to be a good boy" line a little too loosely when I was putting Nico in timeouts. Forgetting how literal young kids are, I was shocked one day when Nico, in timeout for about five seconds, declared, "I'm ready to be a good boy"...and then got up and walked out of the kitchen. He now understands that a timeout ends when four minutes are up and he's ready to be a good boy, not whichever comes first. But it hasn't stopped him from trying to negotiate.