Dotty is only 3 so the concept of time is lost on her. Usually when I try to tell her that something is about to happen I base it off of the t.v. For example, I tell her we will be leaving as soon as Dora is over...or...she will have to get in the bathtub when Diego is over. This has seemed to help her know when something is about to take place.
However, at times I don't have 30 minutes to wait for a show to be over. When this is the case, I use a kitchen timer. At first I was not getting the best results, but lately it has been working great.
Lots of times at night Dotty will just scream and cry for Memaw not to leave. The last few nights though when the timer has gone off Dotty has happily kissed Memaw goodbye and the entire process has been much more enjoyable for everyone involved.
Last night we set the timer many times. Once for Memaw to leave. Then we set the timer for when Papa Tim had to leave. Then for when she had to wash her hair in the bathtub. Then we set the timer again for when she had to get out of the bathtub. The entire night was full of little "dings", but the best part of all of it was it was not full of Dotty screaming or crying or fighting with me. It was so nice.
I don't want to turn Dotty into Pavlov's Dog, but it is nice to have her minding me so well. I promise to not abuse the power of the kitchen timer. I won't try to have her fetch or roll over or anything.
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