NotSheep

So after a less-than-ideal start to the day, I got the kids settled down to do some work, and we tried to salvage things. To be honest it wasn’t a great day - it was a lot calmer than it started, and they did get quite a bit of work done, but nobody was particularly cheery all day. I had a headache all day - not sure if that was the cause of this morning’s blowout or the result. We had leftover soup for lunch, after which I took Toby to bed and told the others I expected their rooms to be tidy by the time I got up.

That didn’t happen, but later I explained a few facts of life, namely:
- that parents work hard all day, and don’t particularly feel like running about in the evenings, so if kids wanted to be taxi-d to various activities, it would be in their best interests to make parents feel a bit more positively about them,
- that we all have responsibilities in our home. I don’t run away, even when I feel like it, because I have to put my responsibilities first. Therefore if they don’t have time to pitch in and help, they don’t have time to go anywhere either. Thus: room a bombsite = no Beavers, Badgers, Cadets, Cubs, archery… etc.

Ten minutes later, the room was - well, certainly not spotless, but definitely pretty tolerable!

So after dinner, Barney fed the fish, George fed the cats, and Freddy cleared the table. And then Scratchy took them to Cadets, Badgers and Beavers, respectively.

Freddy has just returned from Beavers with the beaver ornament and another badge - he was chosen as Beaver of the Week again. This makes twice in three meetings. Maybe I need a little ornament that isn’t a sheep…

I posted to an email list this morning, as well as blogging. The list is about positive parenting and positive discipline - i.e. not using punitive techniques and that would include hitting kids. And I said that I wasn’t really expecting any answers, that I really just needed to say all this somewhere where I wouldn’t hear “oh just smack them”. I got a number of very encouraging and positive replies - and quite a number of excellent suggestions for things that almost certainly would have helped, had I thought of them at 9 o’clock this morning. But how’s this for Stoopid? - one person replied saying: “I try to use alternate methods but sometimes spanking works the best and settles things quickly.”