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Time Out

I'm not sure if this says more about my habits of discipline or my son's knowledge of the animal kingdom, but...
Yesterday, Jennifer and I took our kids to the zoo. We saw a tiger, a few zebras, some monkeys, and several sea lions. One in particular caught our attention as it was sunbathing while it faced a wall. Our 5-year old son asked if the sea lion was in a time-out. (That same 5-year old shared the fate of the sea lion later in the day.)

I am pretty sure that the sea lion in question was only by chance facing a wall. But he was taking a time out from his other busy activities of the day. Those activities would include eating fish, waving to a crowd, and performing his best rendition of a shark for the people that looked on. Yet, at this point, he took a time out.

I wonder if he thought about anything. After all, that is what a time out is for. We send our kids there from time to time, hoping they will think about what they have done and why they won't do it again. I can hardly blame them as I should spend more time thinking about my words and actions, both before and after I say and do.

My children would never impose their own time out just to reflect on their actions. They are too busy playing and having fun to even consider this. I wonder if we are like this. Why take a time out when everything is going okay?
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