Just a quick little parenting, discipline trick we use…
If our kids have bad attitudes we make them work. They almost always come back happy. It’s a beautiful thing. Throw the grumpy teen in one end of the work machine and they come out the other end a happy person.
The work is not just the dishes or sweeping the floor type work. It is outside or in the garage. It is getting dirty, sweaty and having to labor. And it is for a decent amount of time (at least 1/2 hour). When they come back in to have me check their work, they have forgotten why they were grumpy in the first place. Sure, when I assign them the work they may crab and complain, but it is quickly forgotten as they “put the shoulder to the wheel.”
This works really well with our teens and pre-teens. When they are smaller they don’t quite get how to work that hard – they don’t have the capacity many times. But with them there are other tactics that work well.
We keep a list – either on paper or in our heads – of what can be done outside. And, when Mr. Cranky comes out, we make sure they leave the house. And, to tell you the truth, there are other reasons. If the oldest one is crabby he or she will affect the whole rest of the home. So, when they go outside, I can work on resetting a good atmosphere inside. That way, when (if) they return, everything is back to normal and we have created an environment where it is easy for them to be happy.
Also one little secret: if I get cranky I punish myself as well. Time for me to get out and work!
- Michelle K., Lakeland, FL
