I have two children who fuss and fight constantly. I will call them Child Fuss and Child Fight. They are experts at it. They will argue about anything. They will find ways to aggravate each other in any situation. You can send them into separate parts of our 8 acres and they will find their way back to each other and then fuss about it. The funny thing is, they are the ones who play the best together.
So, this morning I sent them to do their zone cleanups and I went to my room to straighten it up. I was not in there five minutes until Child Fuss ran in telling on Child Fight. I got Child Fight in to try to figure it out and many tears and shouts later I realized there was absolutely no way to figure out the blame because they were both in the wrong And with both of these children fairness and justness is the end all, be all.
I had had enough. I am just one woman and it was only 8:30 and I was already listening to the most insane argument about a big bunch of nothing. I told them that they could not look at each other, talk to each other, or even be in the same room with each other. They had to be in separate parts of the yard. If they even glanced at each other it was going to be big time discipline. They were actually smiling when they left the room thinking to themselves what a great day it was going to be.
Ya'll, it was so quiet in my house. Everyone was working and James was watching Sesame Street. It was as though peace had finally settled on the Old Clark Homestead and it was divine. No fussing, no fighting. Just everyone going through the morning motions and doing what they were supposed to do.
At 10:00 Child Fight came and told me they just couldn't play without Child Fuss. They were bored. They didn't know what to do without Child Fuss. I told them they could play again, but at the first argument or whiny voice they were to be separated again. It has been wonderful so far. They have even cleaned up their messes together. Will it last? Probably not, but today is good.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
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Love it. Hmmm, wonder which 2 kids it is....
ReplyDeleteToo funny! Now if you can just forbid your kids from ever talking to each other, no fussing ever again!!! :) But actually I do remember that being forbidden to talk to my brother made me appreciate him more. Good work!
ReplyDeleteActually, I used this type of thing as an excuse to my Mom when we were actually considering only have an only child. I said, "Mom, think of all of the discipline you gave us as kids. WAAY over half of it was for fussing and fighting with each other!! If we only have one, I will have to do soooo much less discipline!"
But then she TOTALLY threw that justification out the window by saying, "That's how y'all learned to not be selfish and to get along with others. If you hadn't learned it then, you would have had to have learned it later, and it would have been MUCH more painful."
Ouch.
So, all that to say, just keep in mind that you are teaching Child Fuss and Child Fight how to get along and not be selfish. As painful as it is now, it will pay off later!
Hey, why haven't I ever done the "don't talk to each other don't look at each other" deal? Thanks for that reminder!
ReplyDeleteChild Fuss and Child Fight live at my house, too. And Child Tattle-tale.
I think that is so sweet. Fight like cats and dogs, but can't make it through the day without playing together. SO SWEET. :-)
ReplyDeleteBless their little hearts~they sound so cute to want to be together at the end! Good work on your part~God bless, Rose
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how absence makes the heart grow fonder?! Guess that applies to siblings too!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds so familiar....loved the story!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe have a child who has a way of picking at not one, but all siblings. Just teasing them, racing them, picking on them. It is so tiring. Yet two of them are like twins and cannot stand to be separated. If the one is visiting a friend, the other says, "I miss ___." Thanks for sharingl; we can relate here!
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