“Get OFF of MY chair!!!”
“That’s MY chair, not yours!”
“NOOOOOOOOOOOO it’s NOT, Avaaaaaa!!!!
It’s a gorgeous (HOT!!) Sunday afternoon and my kids are stuck inside, attempting to burn off energy that normally takes running, jumping, climbing and swinging to get rid of. Their emotions are running “HOT” as well and they’re at each other’s wits.
So in the midst of this yelling about who’s chair is who’s, I yell – “STOP!!!! It’s mission time.” My girls have learned about “missions” (which started w/ my nanny putting them on “missions” to get stuff done and they loved it!) and enjoy accomplishing anything… especially a “mission”.
“Here’s the mission. I’m going to count down from 10 to 1. When I get to 1, your mission is to quickly tell your sister something you love about her. Here’s some examples – I love what you’re wearing today. You make me happy. Thank you for being such a great sister. You are fun to play with…….”
So I counted down from 10 to 1 and they quickly whispered compliments/encouragements to each other (and also went over to Kallen—my 1 year old) and hugged him. The earlier dispute was forgotten and off they were to play again… happy and encouraged by the positive thought from the other sibling.
Remember, kids don’t always respond to telling them to “Stop fighting w/ your sister!” or “Please get along”… “BE NICE!”
Life is truly a series of presentations and if you can remember to “present” something to your children that entices and intrigues them, then you’re most likely going to get the outcome you want. Grab some creativity instead of frustration and see where your presentations get you.
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