Time Out

Well, most parents know what a time out is. When your child is out of control or needs to be taught how to control themselves, or has expressed a poor choice in behavior they go to time out. In our house it's usually because a fight broke out over the coveted object and hitting was used to solve the dilemma. Whoever can hit the hardest wins the prize. It's at this point I have to intervene. Well, both my boys love to watch Jazz games with me and so last Wednesday we sat watching the Jazz game together, eating popcorn and drinking strawberry milk or as the boys like to call it, red milk. After we'd been watching for a little while a time out was called and it went to commercial. Dalin, in all his curiostiy and four year old deep thinking about everything in the world said, "mom, if those basketball players would just play nice they wouldn't have to go to time out". Then Braden piped up and said "they need to share the ball". Yes, in our house we don't fight over basketballs we have to share them or someone will go to time out. How can I explain the rules of basketball while still trying to teach two very competitive boys how to share with one another? I guess that's why they each have their own basketballs, soccer balls, or whatever other balls we constantly play with, each identical and with the boy's names printed in big black, permanant marker on them. This eliminates much of the fighting because they know exactly who's is who's. What in the world am I going to do when a third one joins the party? But all in all I love these kinds of conversations. They always make me smile. One day the boys will smile at it too.