Unleash Evil Mommy

This weekends the girls had a screaming match over a sheet. The youngest was using a sheet to make a tent. The oldest HAD to use that one and only sheet to make her bed. Screaming. Door slamming. More screaming. “I hate you!” flew out of their mouths.

Because of a sheet. To be clear, we own more than one sheet.

This has been an on going theme around here lately. The two of them fight over something, anything and it’s world war three. It’s stupid and petty.

What’s this frustrated mom to do? Because taking away Kindles and the beloved cell phone has not been working. Grounding isn’t working. Reasoning is working. Who am I kidding? Reasoning and kids don’t exactly go together. I don’t care what Love and Logic says.

Unleash Evil Mommy: Make the kids close their eyes and imagine their sister died today. She’s in the casket, dead. (Oh, she went there.)

Now, do you really want the last thing your dead sister heard you say was “I hate you”?

Uh, I didn’t think so.

Today you can say “I am sorry” for the hurtful things you said but tomorrow may be too late. Also, you can only say hurtful things to someone so many times before they stop believing “I am sorry.”

After they stop crying from that haunting image of death, Evil Mommy made them write five things they love, like, or find fun about their sister. Then, they read the list to each other and hugged it out.

It is possible they will need therapy.

This is them 30 minutes later sharing nachos; and they were extra nice to each other all day.

I am not proud I pulled out Evil Mommy, but sometimes you have to do what you have to do to stop the fighting and make them understand the consequences of their hurtful words. 

By the way, both girls went further with the “assignment” and drew pictures for each other to hang on their bedroom walls. Alex even told me this was a good reminder that her little sister does have some good qualities that she sometimes forgets.

That sounds like a success to me. Until next time…

*******

Parker is dancing in the rain. On her surfboard, of course.

******

 Colorado flood update: Many communities in Colorado are still battling flood waters. Basically we got more rain in four days than we do in one year! Our family is in a little pocket that has not seen flooding but other communities close by are not as fortunate. How devastating to have to evacuate at a moments notice because if rising waters. To come home to a basement full of water and mud. Not having flood insurance because this is was a storm that comes along every 100 years.