Do you ever threaten your kids?? I mean, when they're acting SUPER crumby, and ornery?? I admit that I do this CONSTANTLY!
Today, Cameron was literally pitching a fit...throwing things, yelling, screaming, hitting me...yeah, a WONDERFUL day to be a mama. So I swatted his bottom and sent him to time-out. I've been really frustrated with the boy lately, he's been screaming and carrying on like a mad man. Anyway, while he was screaming and throwing things, he banged his glasses into the wall and skewed them so badly that they didn't fit on his head anymore. I was FURIOUS! I attempted to rebend the frames, then I tried to think of a way to get the kid to stop being such a brat. (I don't want baby J to pick up his bad habits...)
The phone was sitting beside me, so I picked it up and began to randomly press numbers, doing my best to make lots of beeping noises, and praying that someone didn't try to call me while I was being a bit evil. As soon as I punched in the numbers I pressed end. Then I held the phone up to my ear, and waited like it was ringing on the other end. (Yes, I'm a mean mommy!) Cam was instantly silent. I asked to speak to the Easter Bunny. Then I proceeded to "tell" the Easter Bunny how ornery and nasty Cam was and that we no longer wanted him to visit our house for Easter. I "hung up" and Cam was looking at me with HUGE tears in his eyes. I then told Cam that if he calmed down, I'd call the Easter Bunny back and ask him to come back. It didn't work! He was back to his fits.
Then I pulled out the BIG guns!! I "called" Santa! The kid was mortified!! I started my conversation by asking how Santa was, then I asked him if he wanted to know what had been going on at my house. But Santa knew....he ALWAYS knows! I said good-bye, and hung up. Cam was much more contrite after I had called the BIG guy! But does it count if you have to pull the Santa card on your child in April!?
3 comments:
Wow! We've "pulled the Santa card" a few times, but it's always been within a few months of Christmas. Maybe you can pull the reversal if he's a REALLY REALLY REALLY good boy. After all, Santa is always watching. He'll want to bring toys to Cam if he's a good boy.
Good luck. Finding the cause (and the cure) for a grumpy kid is like detective work. We bumped Jasmine's bed time up an hour, and that has worked wonders for her orneriness.
Meanwhile, I totally understand what you're going through.
*grin*
I use to do that when I babysat, LOL! I've done it on Nathan, but not in a long while- I guess he's out of the fit stage, and instead is in the sassing acting like a preteen wannabe. :)
Ding- you've got mail too. LOL! Talk to you TONIGHT!! Woot woot!
Hilarious! On Monday my kids were at each other's throats. So I told them the Easter Bunny had just seen what they did and was going to bring one less chocolate for them. I really rubbed salt in the wound when I told them that Sunday morning when they find their baskets to remember that there could have been one more candy in it.
Finding the problem behind the tantrum is a detective game. Halle always needs food when she acts like that. I keep gogurts on hand for those exact moments. Good luck to you.
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