The Birth Of The Modern, Part II

By way of context, here's my little chain of after-dinner disciplinary outcomes:
- If you hit Jack on the head, you go to timeout.
- If you refuse to go to timeout, you go to your room and to bed. Right away.

Sure enough, Jack got bopped on the head, Anna refused to go to timeout, I carried Anna up to her room screaming, she freaked out with Daddy and I for some time but eventually was in bed well before 7PM.

The next morning I tried to go over everything with her. I wanted to make sure that she understood how everything had happened. And OK I'll admit--basically, I never wanted to go through all that again.

Me: Anna, if you hit Jack, you will have to go to timeout.
Anna: OK, Mommy.
Me: If you won't go to timeout, you will have to go to your room and go right to bed.
Anna: OK, Mommy.
[pause]
Anna: [big smile] And if I don't go to my room, then I can come down and play!"

Hmmnnn. Think we're making progress here?