Recent Comments

1. about 13 years ago on For Better or For Worse

   I have not had the flu or pneumonia for several years. These last couple weeks have more than made up for it. First it was the kids then I got sick and now it is more of the kids. Only one has managed to stay healthy. He got to go to the store and pick out an “I stayed well.” toy. (volcano) No fun having the little ones running high temps and coughing. We have had a miserable time.

2. about 13 years ago on For Better or For Worse

   My rule is if you are sick you are in bed. No TV, but books and toys are OK. If you are laid up for another reason (surgery, broken bone) TV might be allowed.

   When my son was about 8 and was bed ridden for several weeks and he recovered just fine with no TV. He had visiting buddies that would play with him.

   When he was about 14 and again bedridden for several weeks I did get cable TV for him but he was not used to it and grew bored with it.

3. about 13 years ago on Stone Soup

   My son went to private school and was home schooled. When he went to community college he was appalled at the behavior of the other students in his classes. He was horrified at the way the students treated the teacher. Teachers do not have it easy.

   There has been a lot of psychiatric influence in the field of education since WW2. There are many students on drugs both legal and illegal. Too many students are on psychiatric drugs. This does make teaching very difficult.

   Someone once said the way to destroy the United States was to infiltrate the education system (such nonsense as creative spelling, and guess reading) and to drug the children. Sure seems to be happening.

4. about 13 years ago on For Better or For Worse

   I used a stop watch to cure a lot of bad behavior. I simply started the watch when the behavior started. When they were done I stopped the watch.

   They owed me double that amount of time in chores. It was amazing how fast arguments were settled if both kids had to do chores for twice the time they argued.

   Sometimes I have assigned push ups, 5 at a time, until the desired behavior occurred. One boy got up to 100 before he decided to pick up his toys. Then usually just mention of push ups would quickly cure the behavior.

5. about 13 years ago on Stone Soup

   I have a couple of picky kids.

   One does not like tuna. I have no problem with it. He is allowed to make a PBJ when the other kids are all served their tuna sandwiches. I have had him eat 1/4 of a tuna sandwich a couple of times, he did, but it is not his favorite. He also likes olives on pizza but not in spaghetti so I avoid serving him olives in spaghetti. It works.

   I have seen kids who refuse dinner then eat 3 bowls of sugary cold cereal. My guys never even get sugary cereal.

   It is a lot what they are served and what they are allowed to get away with.

6. about 13 years ago on Stone Soup

   My grandson is about this age. “The toy (insert any item) is for older kids” are fighting words.

   Until I retrained his older brothers he would fight to the death to protect his right to have what ever they said he could not have; be it sharp knife, hammer or permanent marker.

   I taught the older ones to hold their hand out and nicely thank him for whatever it was he had in his possession. For a long time he would happily hand it over. Often he was just trying to help me in some way. Now he knows how to handle things and I rarely have this problem.

   Last night, about seven younger kids (under 10) and four older kids (over 20) were into my rubber bands and having a great time until a young man found a huge rubber band and shot it at his girlfriend nearly drawing blood. None of us realized how much harder a big rubber band lands. That rather ended the fun and games. The younger kids moved to a non human/non breakable target.

7. about 13 years ago on For Better or For Worse

   My grandkids have learned that if they are (kind of) quiet and occupied I will let them be. The reverse of that is they occupy the 4 year old so I can get something done!

   If they exclude the little one, or are outrageously loud or fighting I will generally find something that needs to be done that they can help me with.

   I have heard them start to argue but stop and settle it themselves so I will not notice them and put them to work. :)

8. about 13 years ago on Stone Soup

   I deliberately have rights and privileges in front of my grand kids and explain that is the right and privilege of being a grown up. I can choose what I have to eat, I can choose what I am going to do. I explain that when they grow up, have a job, pay the bills etc they too can make their own choices.

   Without this there is no reason for a child to grow up and become a responsible adult. With responsibility comes rights and privileges.

   I also provide them with opportunities to make a some money by doing chores etc so they can get a taste of spending their own money on what they want.

9. over 13 years ago on For Better or For Worse

   I have fair haired friends who took their 2 year old to Hawaii, many years ago before sunscreen was popular. On day two everyone was giving them advice on where Aloe grew wild and how they should wrap her in it.

   I once 2d degree burned some toddlers I had put to nap in the shade of a big tree. I was young and dumb, of course the shade moved before they woke up. I learned a valuable lesson that day and had to deal with upset parents and blistered toddlers for a few weeks.

10. over 13 years ago on Stone Soup

    My boys still get socks and underwear for Christmas but it is harder to know what kind they like.

    When my oldest was young I would put coins mixed in with his clothes so when he picked them up to show them, coins would fall out.

    When he was first living in another state I sent him socks with $1s, $5s and $10s tucked in them for Christmas. I wish I could have seen him open them.