Saturday, November 15, 2008

The Penalty Box (Three Hours for Roughing)

Tonight the kids and I went to see my husband referee a kids' hockey game.

It was kind of hot.

He's a good ref. But he should be. He has plenty of practice just from being a dad.

Just a couple of days ago he mentioned how the kids were bugging him because they were bickering. We have a zero tolerance policy on bickering, pouting and whining in our house (at least for the kids) so we are especially sensitive to them getting on each other's nerves.

So I told him my strategy for dealing with bickering siblings. I tell them they're not allowed to play together.

This morning I was awoken by sobbing kids and an incredulous husband. My daughter was playing a handheld game (which she's not supposed to because she is grounded) and she wouldn't share with her brother.

So he squeezed her arm.

So she bit his head.

She bit his head! What the hell?

My husband sent them to separate rooms. Then he told them they were not allowed to be near each other.

So they could do anything they wanted anywhere in the house or yard, they just couldn't do it together.

And so we got to endure three hours of crying children. They sobbed. They wailed. They each sat in a bathroom and cried their eyes out. All because they couldn't play together.

Apparently they...like...love each other. And they are so sorry they hurt each other. And they miss each other so much.

It was freaking hilarious. But effective.

And the girl is in even more trouble than she was when she cut her hair or ate her Easy Bake Oven mixes. I wish I knew of such an easy way to deal with all of her other issues too. I guess I just have to find something to take away from her that she loves as much as her brother.

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