I love the kids phrase "you get what you get and you don't have a fit". It is like magic with my kids. If you are giving them their dinner and one of them whines "but I wanted the red plate"..you just say the magic words and they let it go. Same with "her milk is more full then mine" or "but I wanted to shut the tv off" or even "but it was my turn to do it". I don't know why that phrase solves everything, but somehow it does! My oldest, k, has even expanded it to "you eat what you get and you don't have a fit". Given the few number of foods she will eat - this will be interesting to try out.
Our daycare has a phrase "I don't like it, don't do it again" to use when one kid is hitting another or stealing their toy or whatever. When K was 1 1/2 she went through a phase and I couldn't get her to stop hitting me. The teachers at school said she never did it to them. Then I heard them use that phrase with another kid. I tried it the next time K hit me, and that was the end of that.
Do you have any magic words that work for your kids?
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Mine use - "you move your feet, you loose your seat" all the time when jockying for a place on the couch. Basically if you get up, you loose your prime spot.
I had never heard that first phrase before until the teachers at my kids' daycare used it, and I love it!!
I am going to have to use both of those! Has to be better then arguing about it!
At school, I often hear myself saying- Next time try.....instead
Those are good phrases - I'll have to try them out. When my boys get whiny or are upset about nothing (well nothing to the other people around but obviously somewhat important to them) and don't wan't to get into a better mood - we semi-sing, "Don't smile your face will crack, don't smile you face will crack, ..." Until they smile (even a little one) and then we say loudly, "CRACK!". It makes everyone smile. We don't use it if there is a reason for the crying but a pouty person will usually come out better if not actually laughing. I can't take credit for it, my nieces used it one time they were with us on vacation and we kkep it up - the boy in a good mood will start it before I do.
Ahhh. This is wonderful. My kids used to think bandaids were magic. They would have blood spurting out of a cut, but I'd slap a bandaid on it, and it was all better. It worked wonders on invisible cuts too! My daughter's legs were always covered with the things! I don't think phrases like that would work on my kids anymore, though. :-(
I like the "I don't like it, don't do it again". Morgan has been hitting me anytime I tell her no. Can't say I like it.
Oh yes, we love the "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit" one too! Definitely a fave of mine! With my oldest son when he was around 3 or 4 and would just be crying and fussing over something unimportant or yelling or whatever we would say "go to your room until you're happy". And sure enough he would go in his room, and come back out a few minutes later when he was happy! lol We were shocked the first time this happened, we couldn't believe it actually worked! lol Now we do more of the "No smiling, no smiling, (or don't laugh, don't laugh) until he busts out smiling and laughing.
Oh, and another one that seems to work sometimes as a warning I'll say "Do you need to get in trouble?" and he straightens up and says no and I say, "then you need to stop".
i heard a variation of this on tv last night. this obviously overworked and overwhelmed mom with 3 boys already plus a husband who played with the kids and didnt help her out (except by playing with the kids) gave birth to another boy and didnt want to hold it. she had wanted a girl and thought she was getting a girl. after some brief counseling the hubby came in and was scolded by a ring of doctors. he apologized and looked hangdog then she got scolded "you get what you get and you dont get upset" i snickered cause i thought of your post. then the kids came in and the dad did the right thing and told his kids to lay off the mom cause they were already teasing the baby calling him "squishy face" -- i think the show is called private practice. anyway, it's a good show.
I love that phrase... but I'm so lucky with my daughter, I simply catch her eye and shake my head no... If I can't catch her eye I snap once and she looks and then I shake my head. I have no idea why this works.
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