Friday, June 24, 2011

My summer job: Referee







So far this summer I'm starting to feel like I hung up the "Mom's Taxi" hat and glued on a Referee's. It's stuck there and I keep trying to pull it off but just when I think I got it....yep it's needed again.

And I don't think what I'm dealing with is all that unusual. I've talked to so many families and they are all going through the same thing. I stepped back and got some perspective on it and what I'm realizing is that in this day and age we can't just let our kids go outside by themselves and play. They can't ride their bike around the neighborhood without having their mom and the rest of the siblings tag along. And then in the stifling heat we are stuck inside and there's not many places to go where there isn't someone else right there. Anyone would get sick and tired of being stuck with the same people all the time. When we were little I remember at 8 years old riding my bike down the street to my best friends house and all over the neighborhood. I remember going to the community pool all by myself. I wasn't forced to play with my younger brother all day long. We most defiantly would have killed each other.

So I realize I can't change the times. I can't just let them roam the neighborhood. So we have to figure out a way to have some space and how to get along with each other without yelling, "Moooommmmm he touched me!!" every 5 minutes Otherwise mom will pack her bag and head on down to the insane asylum and check herself in. Ahhhh relaxation at it's finest!

I had bought this little checklist years ago and never used them. It was high time I wiped the dust off and got to it. We reviewed, trained and trained some more the first 3 and I think they have them down. Tomorrow we will continue until we have reviewed them all and we will do training on it each day. I'm determined to nip it in the bud. Otherwise it's going to be a long summer in timeout.



This is where I have all the charts I have purchased threw Doorposts. We have them hanging here so we can always refer back to them. Our "If Then" and "Blessings" charts have just been erased and ready for new consequences and rewards since the kids are getting bigger. If you look closely Boston put a sticker on the "If Then" chart that says "I didn't do it." Too funny when I found that there one day.

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