My children have been bickering almost constantly over anything and everything. It's almost more than a mom can bear. I've been trying to think of different techniques to get them to stop. This afternoon, as the endless squabbling droned on, I took the kids outside and shot them with cold hose water. They were so shocked that they didn't speak at all for almost a full minute. Then they forgot about their annoyance with each other, and they joined together in annoyance against me. Whatever it takes to achieve unity!
Since they were wet anyway, they got in the pool. All was well for awhile, so I went to get the mail. While I was across the street at the mailbox, I thought I heard dogs barking fiercely. I looked around and didn't see any wild dogs on my way back to the yard. As I got closer, I realized it was my own darling children arguing again. I told them they sounded like dogs, and that gave me an idea.
I've often heard parents telling their kids, "Use your words" or "Talk it out". My kids use words way too much. I told them that for the next 30 seconds, they were not allowed to speak. If they had something to say to each other, they had to bark it out. So they started barking and growling, and eventually they both ended up laughing because it was so ridiculous.
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