Sometimes you just need a time out

A lesson from Squirt...

When we were at my parents' house over the holidays we had dinner with my sister's boyfriend's family. His sister has a daughter the same age as J (still with me?).

J and B had a great time together...eventually. But it was touch and go at first. J was unhappy at one point and she just needed to be removed from the situation (I can't remember what happened...it was a non-event)

I took her into the den and closed the door and figured we'd sit together and I'd rub her back until she stopped crying and when she was ready, we'd go back to the big noisy room full of people.

We settled into the rocking chair and about three rocks in, she lifted her head up and said, "Mommy, go away. I need a time out."

Really? I wasn't giving her a time out, I just thought she needed some quiet time to regroup.

Well, apparently she NEEDED a time out and I didn't move fast enough because she said it again. And then she told me that she would come out when it was time.

So I left her.

And she did. And she apologized all on her own for her meltdown.

See, kids can teach you things.

The lesson? Sometimes we all just need a few minutes alone to gather ourselves together and carry on. Worth remembering...even I need a time out from time to time...and hopefully this will remind me to just take that time out and life will be much better for it!