It was a wonderful Saturday. We were enjoying a BSU football game all while baking cookies and doing laundry at the same time. The whole family was home...my favorite kind of day!
Then it started. At first it was little jabs here and there. I politely asked them to stop. Soon it elevated to constant bickering. I asked not so politely for them to stop. It wasn't long until Taylor and Aubrey were yelling at each other. That is when I step in and make them stop!
I know all siblings will bicker. And most of the time, the kids will work it out themselves. But when it elevates to a point that it's causing too much contention, that's where I gotta step in.
How you react in that instant is what can make or break the whole feeling inside the home. The last thing I ever want is to have to raise my voice louder than what is already too loud and annoying! That does ZERO good. You know that mother who is yelling at their kids for all to hear in Walmart? Yeah, she's really helping, huh?
Solution! Give them a punishment that looks like this...
They had to stay in this position for thirty minutes straight! That might seem like a little much, but they are old enough, and completely capable and needed it that night to learn their lesson!
They must keep their fingers interlaced behind their sibling's back. The key here is to make it a horrible consequence for one of them who might let go before the timer goes off. That could be anything! Scrubbing every toilet? One hundred jumping jacks in the front yard while counting out loud? This particular night, it was raining outside, and it had been too long since Gunner's poop had been picked up in the back yard. That is a horrible, nasty job that nobody wants! Let go? Pick up all the poop - and Chip added barehanded!!! Think someone is going to let go? No.
Thirty minutes ever so s l o w l y ticked by... the boys kept watching and enjoying the game and payed no attention to the hugging teenagers in the room.
The great part is, although they were angry with each other when it started, it wasn't long until they were laughing at how silly it all was. They stayed for the entire 1/2 hour, knowing the wet soggy poop was waiting for the one who might let go first. They giggled over half the time.
I'm telling you, this worked wonders! Since it happened about 7 months ago, they know what might be coming if they don't stop when asked the first time.
They have also been made to sit back to back while linking arms in other people's homes, hold hands in church, and stand legs spread open in middle of the Target aisle. They become so embarrassed while doing these things, that they realize the argument just isn't worth it!
Try it! Make it work for your own children. If they are young, maybe 15 minutes will do it. Maybe a group hug is needed! Do what it takes... but don't yell like crazy. It simply doesn't work, and just makes things worse. Happy punishing!
