Zoe Girl
11-19-12, 9:50am
Yup, well those who have teens probably won't judge.
My kids are very comfortable with me. I have run the family on openness and practices such as family meetings to simply organize the busyness and deal with issues. One of the suprising side effects is that they use pretty bad language around me. I got the change made over a year ago to make them use 'fuzzy bunny' instead of the bad word. That was a big step. They don't like it but they do it. Really they don't seem to understand it.
So then my daughter was saying something rude when talking to her siblings when I was in the room so I reacted to it. She took it harder than I expected but actually that is good. I have had enough, I hear that I need more control over what these kids do in my house and lovely talks don't do much so addressing it as soon as it happens seems best. Her big sister moved back in with a sailor mouth that has pretty much stopped so I feel good about that. We have even seen an improvement in her constant anger and defensiveness, that took a more gentle approach.
Still back and forth, they are upset I didn't order things their brother wanted to give them as gifts a month ago and I have been forgetting. Seems there is always something needing to be done. i did tell them bluntly that I amnot getting everything done at work and am getting in trouble so they really MUST do the chores I am asking for. We will see, honestly when I could put them in time out or take away dessert this was easier. But I am ending on a positive that there has been improvement!
My kids are very comfortable with me. I have run the family on openness and practices such as family meetings to simply organize the busyness and deal with issues. One of the suprising side effects is that they use pretty bad language around me. I got the change made over a year ago to make them use 'fuzzy bunny' instead of the bad word. That was a big step. They don't like it but they do it. Really they don't seem to understand it.
So then my daughter was saying something rude when talking to her siblings when I was in the room so I reacted to it. She took it harder than I expected but actually that is good. I have had enough, I hear that I need more control over what these kids do in my house and lovely talks don't do much so addressing it as soon as it happens seems best. Her big sister moved back in with a sailor mouth that has pretty much stopped so I feel good about that. We have even seen an improvement in her constant anger and defensiveness, that took a more gentle approach.
Still back and forth, they are upset I didn't order things their brother wanted to give them as gifts a month ago and I have been forgetting. Seems there is always something needing to be done. i did tell them bluntly that I amnot getting everything done at work and am getting in trouble so they really MUST do the chores I am asking for. We will see, honestly when I could put them in time out or take away dessert this was easier. But I am ending on a positive that there has been improvement!