Kiddleywinks
27-02-2013, 06:41 AM
We had half term last week, and I had to have words with the oldest 2, a boy (7) and a girl (6), about their attitude (unrelated children)
It wasn't anything major, in that a toy got stood on and broken, and I asked them to be more careful or I'd have to move certain toys and put them away to stop them getting broken.
Well, older boy started showing off and older girl joined in, with smarty comments, (Toys are booooring, gonna jump on your sofa, and kick the toy box, etc etc etc) so I set the little ones up in the playroom, sat the other two on separate sofas, whilst I tidied up, and pointed out that if they didn't want to respect my property they could sit there, with no toys, or activities, and see how much fun they had here then.
After 3 minutes I asked them if they were having fun now, older girl piped up 'yes this is fun' to giggles from older boy, Great, says me, you can stay there then.
Left it another 3 minutes - a long time doing nothing isn't it lol, their giggling to each other had stopped by this point, and asked again, are you still having fun?
Older girl pulls the bottom lip and says no, as older boy shouts 'yeah'. Great says I, you can both stay there.
At which point, older girl says what did you say that for?! (I'm trying not to laugh at this point with my back to them, helping the little ones)
Another 3 minutes I asked again, are you still having fun guys? Both of them sullenly said no, we want to play. I sat with them and explained, my house, my rules, my toys, I want them both to enjoy themselves whilst they're here, but if they don't look after things then their time would be spent sat down, not playing with anything, not going anywhere (we'd several trips out, bowling, safari park, normal park, activity club) and I could make it REALLY boring if that was what they preferred.
Needless to say, it wasn't what they wanted, and they were brilliant for the rest of the day. Now I did mention it to parents, that it had been dealt with, they'd been 'punished', but I'd be interested to see if the kids themselves mentioned it.
To my mind, if they did, they would probably feel I was in the wrong, if they didn't, they'd have accepted that they were in the wrong.
Neither of them mentioned it - round one to me I think :clapping:
It wasn't anything major, in that a toy got stood on and broken, and I asked them to be more careful or I'd have to move certain toys and put them away to stop them getting broken.
Well, older boy started showing off and older girl joined in, with smarty comments, (Toys are booooring, gonna jump on your sofa, and kick the toy box, etc etc etc) so I set the little ones up in the playroom, sat the other two on separate sofas, whilst I tidied up, and pointed out that if they didn't want to respect my property they could sit there, with no toys, or activities, and see how much fun they had here then.
After 3 minutes I asked them if they were having fun now, older girl piped up 'yes this is fun' to giggles from older boy, Great, says me, you can stay there then.
Left it another 3 minutes - a long time doing nothing isn't it lol, their giggling to each other had stopped by this point, and asked again, are you still having fun?
Older girl pulls the bottom lip and says no, as older boy shouts 'yeah'. Great says I, you can both stay there.
At which point, older girl says what did you say that for?! (I'm trying not to laugh at this point with my back to them, helping the little ones)
Another 3 minutes I asked again, are you still having fun guys? Both of them sullenly said no, we want to play. I sat with them and explained, my house, my rules, my toys, I want them both to enjoy themselves whilst they're here, but if they don't look after things then their time would be spent sat down, not playing with anything, not going anywhere (we'd several trips out, bowling, safari park, normal park, activity club) and I could make it REALLY boring if that was what they preferred.
Needless to say, it wasn't what they wanted, and they were brilliant for the rest of the day. Now I did mention it to parents, that it had been dealt with, they'd been 'punished', but I'd be interested to see if the kids themselves mentioned it.
To my mind, if they did, they would probably feel I was in the wrong, if they didn't, they'd have accepted that they were in the wrong.
Neither of them mentioned it - round one to me I think :clapping: