A few years ago my sweet grandmother gifted me a book published in 1983, titled "Roots and Wings" by Helen Ream Bateman. It may be 30 years old, but it is full of fabulous family traditions. The author says, "Whenever we quarreled... mother would hand us each a spray bottle and a pile of newspapers and set us to washing windows. We couldn't quilt until the windows were sparkling. We would start out crying and making faces, but we always ended up laughing and working together." She says many arguements would be cut short when one child remembered that they'd better make up or they'd be washing windows.
Too often, my reaction to quarreling or teasing is yelling or corner time. What a better idea it is to put those fighting kiddos to work in an easy, time-consuming job. I only have one child old enough to work, but next time she teases her sister, she's gonna get a wet rag and wash some walls.
** The positive side of this consequence is threefold. You get a cleaner house, and they always know exactly what the consequence will be for fighting and may often quickly resolve on their own. Also, you can stop complaining to your husband about those bickering kids. Just say, "Don't our walls look really clean today?"
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