Monday, November 17, 2008
Family Meeting
Last night, we held our first official "Family Meeting." Did anyone else have these growing up? You know...the ones where the s**t has hit the fan, and everyone has to sit down around the dinner table to talk about it? I'm not sure I ever thought I would actually have one of these as a parent - but the time came last night, and so far, it has worked wonders.
You see - I have a 6 (almost 7) year old. The attitude and talking back has just started to blossom. Here lately, it seems any request or comment is answered with a disrespectful tone of voice or argument. Combine that with whining and constant fighting between siblings - and you have yourself a reason to drink yourself to sleep by the end of the day! Last night, Kevin and I were both ready to send some kids packing! That's when we decided it was time for a "Family Meeting." As a family, we came up with 4 rules to follow:
- Listen the first time.
- No whining or arguing.
- Be kind to your sister.
- Clean up after yourself.
We discussed acceptable consequences, made a poster, and posted the rules in the house. At this point, we've had 4 "Time Outs" and one privilege taken away. I have to say, there hasn't been as much drama with the "Time Outs." Normally, I hear a lot of crying or arguing when "Time Outs" are given. Today, they were given and accepted. When I questioned K-Bugg about the sudden change in behavior, her answer was simple. "We've never had rules before. Now I know I have to follow them." (Just for the record - we've always had the same rules. They were never written down.)
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Halloween 2008
The girls had a great Halloween this year. I was out of town on Thursday and Friday for a teachers' Math conference. I came home early (Shhhh! Don't tell anyone) to get ready for trick-or-treating.