To Time Out, or Not To Time Out?

My goals for Ethan are simple: To raise him to be just slightly less weird than I am. I'm not sure how I'm doing these days! :P

As many of you know, we have switched daycares for Ethan. This was a very hard decision, as we loved Vilma, and she loved Ethan so very much. However, we knew that at some point, Ethan would need a bigger setting - more kids, more opportunities for actual field trips and group activities. And unfortunately, she decided to close down for one of the busiest weeks of my and Brian's summer....so we decided that now might need to be the time for that switch.

Brian and I really like the new place we chose, but I'm not sure if Ethan agrees yet. This is the first example of separation anxiety we've ever seen from him - crying many tears as soon as we say, "Ok, Ethan, bye bye!" It would be so easy to sneak out, but I keep reading and hearing from the folks there that it's best in the long run if he sees us leave - then he (eventually) learns that after we leave, we'll come back. And I think that we probably anticipate his tears and look nervous and fearful - we're going to have to start looking way more cheerful, or Ethan is going to think that we really are leaving him somewhere terrible!

The nice thing, and a total surprise, is that one of Ethan's best friends from Vilma's is actually at this new daycare! Mari was the oldest of Vilma's kids and absolutely the sweetest. Here she is watching out for Ethan on one of his first visiting days there:
She followed him around for that whole hour we were there - watching him on the slide, sitting next to him, handing him little chairs to sit on in the dirt...it was so darn cute. They aren't in the same classroom, but it's kind of nice to think of him seeing a somewhat familiar face during playtime outside!

Now, I'm not saying that they're connected, but right around the time we started making this switch to a new daycare, Ethan started his "I'm independent!" toddler behavior in full force. My sweet, good little boy will now put a knee on the glass coffee table (that he is well aware he's not allowed to climb on), look at me, smile, and climb up on it. When I say no and pull him off, he'll smile again and jump right back up there. !!! Same with dinner time - fling the cup and toss the blueberries...."No, Ethan!" Looks at us, smiles, and does the exact same thing. Are we in the land of time outs yet? Do I ignore this behavior that is obviously acted out knowing it's going to be scolded? Hmmmm...When I was teaching, I was pretty darn good at doling out the appropriate consequence for particular behavior. But this toddler has me all confused...