Dealing with "tattle tails"...
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Dealing with "tattle tails"...
| Sat, 10-23-2004 - 1:57pm |
I am so sick of the constant tattle tailing around my house between the oldest three kids. In fact, most of the probelm comes from my oldest 2 kids--the girls--ages 6.5 and 8 years old. I get a break when they're in school, but it seems to start up the minute they're home and it hardly ever quits--I'm going to scream........!!! All I hear is "she didn't take her shoes off when she came inside", "she isn't cleaning, only me", "she's not letting me have my turn", "she's pushing me"...if it's not one thing, it's another. I've tried to ignore it and tell them to work it out alone, but it doesn't work, not even a little.
I need help--I can't handle it anymore--I'm going insane.....what ideas have actually worked???

Maybe you could "help" them learn to talk to each other. At the next dispute, state what each of them isn't liking about what's happening. (You don't like this, and you don't like this.) Then ask them what we could do to fix this problem. They might have ideas or they might not. If they don't you could always make a suggestion. If they can't come up with anything then maybe take away whatever is causing the argument (The TV isn't going on until you both agree on a show to watch...)
They may surprise you and come up with some solutions to the problem...then, hopefully you won't have to step in all the time and they'll start doing it on their own.
They are old enough to be able to work things out alone, you just have to make sure the youngest isn't always getting the bad end of the deal.
I know how frustrating it can get!
Molly