My kids fight over the stupidest things. I don't know how to handle it. I need help. I'm losing my mind.
Current and common fight: The little ones like to sit with me. I sit in the middle of the big chair, and AJ sits on my left so Willie is flipping out because HE wants to sit there. He won't sit on my right. No way. AJ won't move. They are screaming, hitting, whining, pushing, shoving...I have tried moving, yelling, sending them away, trying to sell the empty space on my right, used reverse psychology--nothing works.
Now, if it was the other way around, and AJ was on my right, Willie would have to have the right side. It never fails.
Help!!
Any suggestions. This is one example of many ways this situation goes. It always is the same underlying problem. One has something and the other has to have it, even if its something as stupid as a chair or a particular slice of pizza.
Get this!
Now Willie voluntarily sat on my right and my left is completely empty. They started to argue over this:
Willie: AJ, you can sit on your side, now.
AJ: I can't because then my juice will spill on Mommy's computer.
Willie: Well you can borrow it
AJ: But I can't! You can sit there.
Willie: I want to sit over here.
ARGGGGHHH :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:
I'm going to rip my hair out.
welcome to mommyhood
Hahaha, thanks.
But I'm at a loss as to how to handle that!
You can give them the third person guilt trip.
"It makes mommy very sad when you two argue. Maybe when you two have this figured out, I'll come back and sit with you, but for now I'm going to sit by myself."
You'll be a great mom someday. I just suck at it!
Naw - I'm just looking at it from outside of the playpen! :razz:
True. That's why sometimes I come here for advice, because I'm too close to the situation to think objectively.
Ahh.. I remember when my kids were your kids' ages Daisy. Now mine are 10 and 13 and the fighting/arguments get bigger and better ;D. Now the fighting is over who gets to play the playstation first, who is looking at who wrong, who's touching who, and the great " i hate you as a brother" rings through the house now that school is out. It's so bad.. I have to keep them in separate rooms.
Teenage years suck.
I hear ya. That sounds like my house NOW...I don't want to think about ten more years from now. Playstation fights, yep, a common occurence. I take it away for a couple days up to a week, depending on the offense, and when they get it back, they'll behave for a few days but before long...here we go again!
Be consistent Daisy. Keep taking it away. That is all you can do is be consistent - or meaner! haha
Consistency is my biggest problem. Second is following through. I am aware of it now, and have been working on it, but some days its tough.
I hear ya. There are days in my room where I just want to be like "Why can't you just be good?" It doesn't ever work! :razz:
ahhh...the good 'ole consistency factor...how true.
You could always take the route that my stepchildren have gone down...spank away. :rolleyes:
That's part of OUR problem -- they don't understand why we don't spank the little girls for things that would've resulted in a spanking or mouth-washing for them.
The joys of blended families. :razz: