Why have all my mindees gone from angels to little devils

[Jelly Baby]

Overnight?!! (sorry could ramble!)

My school run boys are a nightmare..lately they fight and niggle all the time, the only 2 ways i can seperate them is to put the girl in the middle of them in the back, this results in the seats being very very hard to click in..i struggled so much last few times i thought why should i have to do this and have put them back together for the time being. Putting either of them in the front is a pain as they fiddle with the heater etc, turn round in their seats..grr
Yesterday they were 15 mins late for being dropped off..my dd was upset as HATES being late..my other mindee was moaning and when i rung they were still at home..i said they had to get a real scoot on or i was off..they arrived at 8.55am (school is a good 10 min drive at least)..dad threw the cheque at me and screached off up the road..i rung the mum last night to say it was completely unreasonable behaving like he had and he was lucky i stayed on my drive, i also had other parents to get back to therefore making them late for work..tommorow (today! i will not be here after 1/2 past) she apologised and all was well..

This morning they were on time:) ..but the other issue with them and the girl is they all wind each other up..petty things like one said this morning 'i'm getting 2 new kittens tommorow' the other said 'can't hear you' she repeated and he did the same, she got louder and so did he..i told the boy to either respond to her nicely or not to answer if he was just going to be silly..he answers back:angry: ..then the older one joins in and it is mayhem..they bicker over the stupidist things..the girl is particularly whingy and it is draining before the day has even started!

So advice on school runs? tried changing the subject, playing games..they are boring!, singing songs always turns into the boys making it into something rude..sigh..a couple of days ago my dd told them all to just be quiet if they couldn't get on..shut them up for all of 2 mins!..it is just distracting tbh driving like this.

Btw they are 5,5,and 8

Thanks

[Ripeberry]

Sounds like a nightmare! At least you only seem to have them for a short period of time. What are they like at holiday time when you have them ALL day? :eek: :eek:

[huggableshelly]

do they still react to stickers and reward charts?

I know what its like to have bickering in the mornings, i have 6 including my own and the main culprit is my DD as she is the only girl so seems to stir up the boys and disrupts their games which are based around Dr Who and ben10.

all mine have stickers when we get to school that they wear until they get lost as a reward for being friends to everyone and sitting nicely facing forward in the car.

if they turn around they get no sticker and are reminded that they must look forward (I have a 7 seater so 2 ride in the back 3 in the middle 1 in the front).

rude songs made me giggle ... sorry, been through that stage it does die off after a while, i stopped it by putting nursery ryhmes on which they didnt like so when the behaviour improved high school musical or lazy town went back on.

yes I'm a mean CM but its worked for me.

[Jelly Baby]

Thanks for the reply!
The youngest boy i have minded for years until he started school..i now take and collect him and his brother amongst others!..i dont have them in the holidays..the girl i do and majority of the time she is fine..a bit cheeky at times but arent they all!!

[guest3]

I've only recently started minding and only have an 11month old atm for this very reason! I have my own twins of 10 (girl and boy) who fight and bicker constantly so I always start the day off stressed. In January, I have another baby starting and although other child minding friends say that before and after schoolers are good earners, I don't know if I could stand the stress!!
I guess I've been lucky to get 2 full-timers as my first mindees

Wendy x

[Jelly Baby]

Shelly i think the 2 younger ones would..i can see the older one taunting them though! worth a try if it continues! thanks! and yes lol at the rude songs..but not when they are doing it!

[Jelly Baby]

I've only recently started minding and only have an 11month old atm for this very reason! I have my own twins of 10 (girl and boy) who fight and bicker constantly so I always start the day off stressed. In January, I have another baby starting and although other child minding friends say that before and after schoolers are good earners, I don't know if I could stand the stress!!
I guess I've been lucky to get 2 full-timers as my first mindees

Wendy x

Well done with your mindees..i only tend to do school runs tbh other than the lo i have every day for a couple of hours and one on a thursday i am quiet which is nice. The school runs are my main income and yes good money for what i do..i shouldn't moan really but it just the sheer worry i am going to crash due to having to stop then arguing all the time that bothers me!

[youarewhatyoueat]

Turn the radio up VERY LOUD!!! at least you won't be able to hear them bickering and they probably won't hear each other.

You could try classic fm!! lol

[The Juggler]

my before and after schoolers are like this too - unfortunately two of them are my own!:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: I try to ignore it, tell them not to tell tales, am constantly reminding them 'if you've nothing nice to say, say nothing' and to speak and listen to each other.

Feel like a stuck record. and you're right despite them all being individually lovely, I'm worn out by 9am. Toddlers are a dream in comparison:p

[suzyblue]

Try and turn it around. Ignore the bad behaviour as much as possible but really go over board on the good behaviour. (Make it up if you have too) Once they see that one of them has been praised, got a sticker, been allowed to do something that the others cant, has an extra biscuit, or is given more responsibility you should be able to encourage the good behaviour more. Its difficult to start but once you get going hopefully it will work. Good luck!

[Jelly Baby]

Thanks guys! the youngest boy was ill this morning..the school run was a dream..not saying it is him but it was such a nice journey with us all talking nicely again! will see what it's like when he returns!

[madasahatter]

Could it be the weather?
The last few days have been very windy (and generally grotty) and today in particular my normally lovely preschoolers have been bickering all day long. Five minutes after sorting out one argument I'm sorting out the next.....and I've had lots for them to do!!
One of my teacher parents came in to collect her child and was complaining about how grotty the kids at school had been today and it sounded just like how it's been in my hone today.

[Jelly Baby]

Possibly a friend said the same last week!! today no younger mindee again and a lovely drive..hmm!!