Hello Everyone.
We have an occasional problem with our outgoing and social 4-year-old daughter Neva visiting the neighbors without our knowledge. Since we know all our neighbors well, this is not a safety concern, however not knowing where she is obviously worrisome. She doesn't do this too frequently, but it's a rule in our house -- "no visiting without telling" -- that is being broken. Once we retrieve her, we read the riot act once again and she gets a "logical consequence" type punishment, like no visiting at all for the rest of the day. Still, we're not sure she's getting the point.
Well, the other day I asked Neva to call Daddy in for dinner. I thought he was out on the balcony. Neva came back in and started putting on her coat. "I can't find him," she informed me. She was obviously going to look for him. I reminded her not to leave the building without me and said I'd help her look in a minute.
As I was about to leave, Neva had returned and was leading her Daddy by the hand through the apartment. He looked guilty and abashed. Seems she had found him coming back from the corner store. "Daddy needs a time out for leaving without telling us," she reprimanded.
Perhaps our message is getting through after all!
Happy sweeping,
Kathleen Gunther
Editor, ContestHound.com
