How many parents out there are tired of the long car ride home from church and the famous “Owe! He hit me.” and “She hit me first.” You’re on the highway, and its too dark to pull over. You wish your arms could stretch like the guy on fantastic four so you can buckle Suzie back up and pop Johnnie on the behind to get him to turn around. You even ask yourself “Does that law that allows you to leave your kid at a fire station work if they’re eight and ten years old?” Just kidding, but seriously, how many of you are just tired of fighting kids? Punishing them doesn’t seem to work anymore. And if you’re like me and you really don’t want to spank them because that don’t work either. And you don’t want to end up like that mother on the 5′oclock news who got caught on a surveillance camera beating her kid, you may want to try this new method I came up with last week.
Last week I was driving home from church and my daughter, eleven years old, and my eight year old were fighting in the back seat. I didn’t feel like pulling over, and I was tired of yelling so I told my daughter to just leave him alone that I’d punish him when we got home. Well she left him alone, then she started crying. So I asked her what was wrong with her now. And she informed me that she knew he wouldn’t get in trouble because I would always forget to punish him and that its not fair that he keeps getting away with hitting her. Sad but true she was right. When I did get home I was either too tired to punish him, or I’d forget, or I’d hope they had forgotten so I didn’t have to spank him. So on the rest of my ride home I contemplated on what to do about this situation. If I spanked him then he’d think that its okay to hit people as long as your the biggest one. If I punished him with no tv for a day. He would just do it again.
Then I got a brainstorm. When we had all gotten inside the house, I called everyone into the living room. I asked my husband for five dollars (I’d given all my in offering.) I asked my daughter to get up and stand by me and I asked my son to do the same. Then I gave my daughter three choices: 1. She could hit her brother back. 2. I would spank him. 3. She could get his allowance for the week. She started smiling at the fact that the choice was up to her, and even though my son begged for the spanking she chose the money. And he cried harder and longer than he ever cried even when I did spank him. I informed him and the rest of my kids that would be the punishment for now on. If they fight then I will give their allowance away. I let my them know that out in the real world you can’t just go around hitting people or they will sue you. And you will have to spend your money in court. So that they can learn now what it feels like.
If the younger ones even raise their hand to hit an older one now, my older ones will tell them real quick “I’m going to get your allowance” and they will put their hand down and just turn around and walk away. So far its been 9 days and no one has hit anyone yet.
