This morning my kids got up very early, 5:30am. As you know, if they are up, I am up. They were both tired then they added Halloween candy into their system and that caused the explosion of sibling rivalry. I was trying to reason them to stop fighting but at 5:30am, my brain as much as the majority of my body was still sleeping. So, after 30 minutes of fighting I have had enough, it was time for action.
I separated both girls into their rooms, with the words: “If it is too hard for you to play together you have to be separated.” Usually I put them in time out for 3 or 5 minutes, according to their age. However, I was so tired that I put them in their rooms for 45 minutes. During that time they were not allowed to talk to each other or anyone, they had to stay inside and clean their room. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, but it did! I had 45 minutes (ok, 40 minutes, the first 5 was the cry) of quiet morning time for my coffee and as a bonus, surprisingly, they both did a good job cleaning their rooms. In addition, they were so miserable by themselves, that they couldn’t wait to be together – they were each others best friends again. It was a trifecta!
When life gives you lemons just add a little bit of sugar and make a lemonade.
Flamikgirls 