Time Out Help

So what do you do when time out doesn't work?

Time out has always been our "punishment" of choice. We do change that based on age and severity of the "crime", though. Still, as little ones, Time Out has always worked. Jeremy just plan hated to be there - Gabi didn't like being "out of control" - and Bethie seemed to understand that it was a time not only for separation from others (to deal with problems and reflect and think about how to do things better next time) but that it was a time for taking space when you needed to be away, when you were over stimulated. She'd often request a "time out" for such purposes and it wasn't until later in her life that she was really the instigator.

Then along came Peter..............................................

Time Out has it's appeal.... for a very short time. We still use it, but he recognizes that it's time for separation and reflection (not necessarily for correction) and will remove himself from time out to apologize and give hugs and kisses when he's ready. There have been days when he willing sits in time out for hours (because he doesn't want to say he's sorry for something, because, well, he's not).

No matter how Time Out is done, Peter seems to repeat his actions - some days it's immediately, and other times it'll be a few days. It all depends on his mood. All our children have been stubborn (strong willed), but Peter is much more so. All our children like to have control, but Peter just takes control.

Today - after repeatedly being told and asked to stop hitting siblings while I was out bringing in wood, Peter deliberately hit again, then came to the door and told me he wanted to be in time out. So I told him to go sit in time out. Then he decided he was done, then not done, then done, then not done. It didn't help that the two he'd been hitting kept telling him to "get back into time out" so he would, laugh, and then get down again.

Anyway - the real problem is hitting. He's such a brute anyway... but he just gets in this moods and decides it's time to hit. Yes, sometimes there is a problem and he's "lashing out", but often it seems there isn't anything to trigger it. He just grabs a toy, gets a certain gleam in his eye, and runs after someone. I do take the toy away (which he uses to hit with). And I've even started taking away his movies (specifically his Thomas ones) when he's really acting out. He doesn't like that, but it also doesn't seem to stop him once he's adjusted to knowing there won't be a movie that day.

So, any thoughts... anyway ideas? I'm really tired of chasing him around to remove numerous toys, and listening to him scream at the top of his lungs for the "injustice" of it all (no, that's not one of his many words yet, thank goodness).