25 February 2007
Why children are not in charge of discipline
Mom MOM!: "Six, Four says you threw a scooter at Five. What can you tell me about that?"
Six: "I did NOT."
M, M!: "People saw you."
Six: "OK!! OK!!! But NOT on purpose."
M, M! [trying not to snurfle and break the mood}: "Well what is the rule about throwing ANYthing, even [choke cough] accidentally?"
Six [mumbling]: "Not sus-posta do it."
M, M! [getting too clever for her own good]: "So what do you think the consequence should be?"
Six [just clever enough]: "Nuffin'!"
M, M!: "Uh, Ok, what if someone threw a scooter--accidentally--at you? What should be the consequence?"
Six: "They should have a time-out for a million billion hundred hours and hafta go to bed and not get up ever even when dey are a ol' grampa!!!!!!!!!"
We went with a 6 minute time-out instead.
Six: "I did NOT."
M, M!: "People saw you."
Six: "OK!! OK!!! But NOT on purpose."
M, M! [trying not to snurfle and break the mood}: "Well what is the rule about throwing ANYthing, even [choke cough] accidentally?"
Six [mumbling]: "Not sus-posta do it."
M, M! [getting too clever for her own good]: "So what do you think the consequence should be?"
Six [just clever enough]: "Nuffin'!"
M, M!: "Uh, Ok, what if someone threw a scooter--accidentally--at you? What should be the consequence?"
Six: "They should have a time-out for a million billion hundred hours and hafta go to bed and not get up ever even when dey are a ol' grampa!!!!!!!!!"
We went with a 6 minute time-out instead.
