This one's for the parents out there...
Both The Boy and BabyGirlG have the most annoying habit. Whenever they are scolded for any reason, the stock response is "I know, I know" in an annoyed voice. It doesn't matter what they've done; it doesn't matter how many times they've gotten in trouble for doing it before; most of the time it seems to be a rote response, much like the moro reflex...
Quite frankly, it drives Mrs. G. and I positively batshit insane.
Our standard response to it is something along the lines of "No, you obviously don't know, or you wouldn't have [done/said/forgotten/etc.] what you did!" This has approximately the same effect as firing a BB gun at the Death Star, except that the Death Star wouldn't then turn and give a blank stare vaguely reminiscent of a grazing bovine...
It's become a battle of wills. Will Mrs. G. and I go crazy first, or will our children learn to live in a world without television, computers, toys, or video games? Will we have to resort to the time-honored tradition of the backhand? Tune in to next week's installment of "As the Stomach Churns"...
That is all.
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8 comments:
I'm feeling your pain, Jay.
That's about all I can offer as I'm fighting with the same thing right now.
insanity is hereditary
you get it from your kids
Jay,
I understand completely. Our kids have annoying habits like those that I simply can't stand.
I just out stubborn them; for every one of those responses they get me saying "try again". Just that over and over again until they give the acceptable response.
After a while, they learn what is acceptable and what is not without having to feed them the response, they have to decide what to say.
Might not help, but I count on the kids getting bored before I do.
Good luck and remember the parents' curse : I hope one day you'll have kids just like you.
"It's become a battle of wills. "
Just wait Jay. I've had some very heated arguments with my father over the years. Why? because I'm just like him. Stubborn, very willing to speak my mind in any given argument, and sarcastic as hell.
I may have been the most stubborn kid EVER.
>Quite frankly, it drives Mrs. G. and I positively batshit insane.<
Short trip, backwards (at least in your case. And we could argue such for the lovely Mrs G, since she married you)... :P
Sorry bro... sometimes, the truth just hurts...
Agree with Bob, you have to break them of that habit... With mine, I literally put them in a corner for a while. And mine did learn about no tv, games, phone too! Of course I was already crazy, so it wasn't far for me to go....
This works for me:
"You knew? Knowing is only 1/2 the battle, GI Joe. 1/2 is like 50%.... DOING would be the OTHER 1/2, and you did not even make an attempt at that. 50% is a FAIL....
.... so you FAILED and you KNEW better: you did it INTENTIONALLY. I KNOW you want Anna to spend the night Friday, but I am going to INTENTIONALLY FAIL to make that happen..... consequences, kiddo."
Wuss. Try doing it in a household where you already don't own a TV or video games, or give the kids access to the computer (except on occasion).
Really, though, I bet Bob S's version would work. 'Cause it's generally a bad thing to get stuck in a battle of the wills with your kids.
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