Super (Cars) Nanny

My kid has an obsession with the color green. He's not exactly enamored with the color itself, but with announcing very enthusiastically, "That's GREEN!" as he points to random objects. He's right only about 40% of the time, and I applaud with squeals of "Yes, that IS green, you smart boy!" Truth be known, he really doesn't seem to care about his accuracy, only about the degree of pleasure and gusto with which he announces his assessment of an object's greenness.

Along with announcing repeatedly, "That's GREEN!" Al's other favorite diversion is putting his cars in time out. But he won't put the car in time out--that's the mama's job. He brings the offending car to me, states, "Time out?" and the following exchange occurs:

Al: Time out?
Me: Mater/Doc/Wingo/whoever (NEVER Lightning, by the way) needs time out?
Al: Time out.
Me: What did he do?
Al: He did no-noes.
Me: No-noes?
Al: He hit.

And that's where I go all Super Nanny on a die-cast car. I go through the whole enchilada about how we do not hit and that is not OK and you're going to sit in time out and think about how you must be nice to your friends.

And then, Al swoops in and decides that his car has spent long enough on the time out mat. He hands the car to me, and--I am not even joking and I wish I were--I complete the time out process by repeating what the car did wrong and telling him that I'm sure he'll make better choices next time.

And then. And then, I have to give the car a hug. On days when I am fed up with the cars-in-time-out game and I try my best to rush through the spiel, Al prompts me: "Hug?" And so I hug the car. And then Al hugs the car, too. And I die from the absurd cuteness of it all.