Here is a picture of a laundry basket my oldest daughter has in her room. As you can see, it has a lid with a handle on the top.
Here is a picture of kid friendly scissors I gave my oldest daughter. Along with the scissors, she recieved a thorough - and I mean thorough, lesson on the proper uses of scissors in our home.
1. Do not run with scissors.
2. Scissors are used for paper only.
3. Scissors can only be used on Art supplies - not books, photos, hair, or Mommy's things.
4. When in doubt, ask Mommy before cutting.
Needless to say, the scissors have been put into "Time Out" on numerous occassions for various reasons. Each with revisiting acceptable uses of scissors. Now - remember the laundry basket I mentioned earlier? Over the last few months, I've noticed the handle slowly dwindling away. Little by little, it has gotten smaller and smaller - until finally today, it vanished! How did that happen? (You might wonder.) I've had my suspicions about it for some time and have questioned her several times. Each time I get the same answer. "I don't know what happened to it Mommy!" When asked if she has been cutting it with her scissors, the answer is always, "No!"
Today, she had a friend come over and ask to play. Before going over to her friend's house, she had to clean up her room. Since her friend was waiting, I decided to help with the cleaning up process and found the final piece of the basket handle on the floor (next to the scissors). Not wanting to embarrass her in front of her friend, I just quietly picked up the handle and showed it to her. "I didn't cut it Mommy!" she exclaimed.
"Okay," I said. "We can talk about it later." (Again, not wanting to discuss it in front of her friend.)
I left the room and heard the following:
"I don't know why she is so worried about it. It's just bedroom stuff!" Why is she crying about a basket?!" (This, coming from a 5 year old!)
So my question is, how would you deal with this?
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Betty had this to say:
LOL!!! I would take the scissors away. And, I would only let her use them under your discretion. I'm always afraid that little girls will cut their beautiful hair with scissors.
- 6:27 PM
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Brooke had this to say:
That's a nice basket, I would be pissed too!
I would take all scissor privileges away for some set amount of time. Keep them under lock and key but visible so she can be reminded that this is a consequence of basket-maiming.- 7:22 PM
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Jacqueline had this to say:
I'm sorry - I can't stop laughing long enough to help you.
No really- well there are several ways I have dealt with these situations with Sam.
1. Get in his face and say "If you do this again then....."
------or-------
2. Explain to him that everything has a value to it and we must respect it. Some things we may not feel is that important and some we may feel is. Just because I may not feel his Buzz Lightyear doll is important, I don't go and cut its arm off. Then, we don't cut parts off other items in the house. -- That one usually works for him. (Keep in mind that he is 6)
Then there is the other 1 million things he gets into that I have to handle.- 8:08 PM
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Cat had this to say:
Oh My, has been a few years since I had a 5 yr old. I guess I would take scissors away and only allow to be used while under supervision.
as for the comment she made. Hmmm I would take everything out of her room and then ask why she is crying about it? OH WAIT, that is what I would do to my Preteen and teen! oops sorry. wish I could help. LOL- 9:02 AM
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Ryan had this to say:
No idea how to deal with that! Girls are so funny. I love how she waited for you to leave the room and started talking smack right away. Oh girls :)
- 10:27 AM
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had this to say:
I have no advice, though I'm sure it's torture trying to punish her because she's so darn cute and funny!!!! Hilarious - i can see her saying that under her breath with a snobby look on her face. She's sooo girly!!! :)
- 11:26 AM
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Kelly in NC had this to say:
AHHHH ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I wonder where she learned to talk like that! By next year she'll be blaming it on Ella!
My addvice: Take away the scissors until she can recite the scissor rules without prompting!- 7:10 PM
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Friglet had this to say:
I would take the scissors away, but I would laugh my butt off first!
- 9:15 PM
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Mandy had this to say:
What a hilarious story! She is such a cutie. You are going to have your hands full... I always try to parent with the "logical consequence"... Issa used to lock her car door with her foot while in carseat. After repeated warnings, when we got home and she was grinning with a locked door, instead of trudging back to my door to hit unlock again, I shrugged and said, "I can't get you out!" - she screamed in the car in the garage for about 45 seconds and hasn't done it since... I guess show her that if it has no handles, then she'll have to walk her laundry to the washing machine herself daily??? That'd get her!
- 9:17 PM
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Amanda had this to say:
You have the cutest hair I have to say in that pic of you!
- 11:04 AM
