Discipline Part II

I'm sure Sam will appreciate this as a teenager, but yesterday he had his first time out.  I'm growing increasingly frustrated with his lack of regard for the word "no".  I KNOW he understands me.  Its the water dish.  How can you blame him?  That water dish is COOL.  Its wet, its just the right size.   However, its cold.  If he plays in the water dish, my floor gets wet, he gets wet and the dogs have no water.  It is just plain annoying.  

More annoying still is the fact that he knows he is not supposed to do it.  He does it anyway.  He walks up to that water dish, says something in gibberish and waits until he has mine or Dave's attention.  We say no... gently first then more harshly as he continues to babble over the water dish.  Then he strikes (splashes...).  Then he laughs with glee.  ARGH.

So yesterday, I realize removing the bowl every single time he is in the kitchen and/or awake is not realistic.  He's not going to learn anything and I'm going to forget to put it back and the dogs will be thirsty.  In comes time out.  Now when he walks over to the bowl and deliberately splashes after multiple "no's"  I swiftly pluck him off the floor and into my arms and hold him for the requisite "one minute".  I'd like to say this was a breakthrough and we now have no issues with water.  Not quite yet.  However, my hope is that he will associate this repeated action with a negative consequence.  What one year old wants to do something that gets him restrained on mom's lap?  

That my friends, was our first (and second and third) time out.  We survived.  I felt silly "explaining in a calm voice" why Sam was swiftly whisked away from something "so fun" and plopped into my lap.  You've got to learn the meaning of "no" somewhere, somehow, right?  I figure we should start here rather than wait until he is stealing cars and rummaging through our wallets...