Woes of Motherhood...

Not long ago I posted pictures of Darcy on top of the kitchen cabinets. In the last few weeks Darcy has entered the Terrible Twos stage of kittihood and it's a miserable stage. He started leaping to the top of the cabinets and chewing on the molding around the edge, and it's causing damage to the cabinets. So, Kandus initiated time-out for Darcy (which is probably the only thing that saved his cute little life when she discovered his chewing) while I was in Canada. Darcy hadn't been near the cabinets since then. Until today. I was baking cookies and all of a sudden Darcy flew past me onto the counter, then fridge, then the cabinets. I immediately grabbed our squirt bottle (it is used for feline control) and started spraying him. I took a couple steps back to encourage him to jump down and when he did I grabbed him and shut him in the bathroom for time-out. Now when it comes to my kitties I'm a huge softy. They're just so cute! After I put Darcy in the bathroom I immediately felt guilty, but then all my child psychology courses kicked in and I knew I needed to leave him in there for as many minutes as he is old (I went by months because he hasn't quite reached a year yet) in order for him to learn. But, then he started to cry! My little Darcy who never makes a peep started to cry! I couldn't bear to leave him upstairs all alone so I sat on my bed and listened to his little cry until he had served his sentence. When his time was up I flung open the bathroom door, sat on the floor, and tried to cuddle him. He wouldn't come near me! So, I blocked the door and wouldn't let him out until I had delivered a very profound lecture, "Now listen young man, you need to keep your feet on the floor where they belong. The cabinets are not for playing on or chewing. Understand?" What did I learn from this experience? It's a good thing I'm not a mother because I stink at punishment!