4 days until school starts up again and after a week of too few rules and too much attention the boys are indulging in their favorite new hobby: bickering.
Neither threats nor pleas nor shameless acts of bribery will deter them. They argue about everything from hotwheels to the finer points of German grammar. And the more I try to intervene the worse it gets. So I'm ignoring them. Just like I do with those voices in my head that tell me to burn things.
I've banished them upstairs while I keep busy down here; cleaning, cooking, blogging. And counting down the minutes until I can send them back to the daily routines of school. Or sell them to the next passing circus troupe-- whichever comes first.
2 comments:
I so know this feeling... Hang in there!
Hi! You know, I've tried this tactic. And it definitely takes care of the immediate problem since it's physically impossible to argue if they're in separate rooms.
But then I start to notice that they get into these grooves-- maybe it's just coincidence, but it really seems like the more I punish them the more often they argue.
I read a great book once on whining. It said that the best thing to do is to ignore it since even negative attention is a reward for undesirable behavior. And it's a tactic that's helped us out a lot over the years.
The other thing I've noticed is that I'm the only one who's really bothered by their squabbling. If I stay neutral their argument ends quickly and they go back to playing peacefully. But if I intervene it creates an issue which has a force all its own.
And since their bickering doesn't stray into insults or physical agression my instinct is just to try and ignore it and let it take its course.
But it's exhausting to be around them when they're going at it continually! We all need a diversion. Time to send them back to school. (and/or invest in a pair of earplugs!)
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