A productive time-out

Two weeks ago, as we gathered around the table for dinner and before we said the blessing on the food, we noticed Karcyn was not acting appropriately. She was playing with her plate and putting it on her head and because we had JUST addressed this issue with most the kids the very day before, we excused her to go to time-out in her room. We told her we would let her know when she could rejoin us for dinner. Obediently and without argument, Karcyn trudged to her room.

When most of us were about half way through dinner, we decided Karcyn could come and eat hers. She emerged from her room and skipped around to my chair. She was really excited about something. "Mom! Mom! Can I show you something?"

At the moment I was talking to or instructing or disciplining Calvin and looking in the opposite direction. "In just a minute," I told her.

When I finally turned to give her my attention, she excitedly pulled up her shirt, exposing most of her belly and midsection while tiltng her head coquettishly towards her shoulder and pointing her left foot out to the side as if in some exaggerated modeling pose. She smiled and exclaimed, "Look!"

I was shocked. What was she doing posing like that? "Karcyn! That is not appropriate. We don't lift up our shirts like that." Before I could continue my lecture on the importance of modesty, Karcyn, somewhat deflated, tried again.

"No, look!" While maintaining most of her pose and using her free hand, she pointed to her capri drawstrings at her waist. And then it dawned on me. They were tied! I was shocked for the second time in two minutes.

"Did YOU tie those?? All by yourself??"

Karcyn's proud smile returned. She nodded enthusiastically and said, "Uh huh. While I was in time out." We cheered and congratulated Karcyn and had hugs all around.

We made a goal for her to learn to tie her shoes this summer, since she finally owns shoes with laces. In fact, the only reason I got shoes with shoelaces was so she could learn how to do that. Slip on shoes are way more practical with kids and living in the northwest. Of course, this summer, if we wore any shoes at all, they were sandals. I saw her purple airwalks in the closet recently and had some slight mommy guilt for not working with her on this important life skill. So I sat down with her and we practiced it a few days before her perfect execution on her capri drawstrings.

If only all our time-outs could be as productive :)