Some days navigating, or not navigating, depending on which action I think, nay hope and pray, will avert full scale war between the siblings in my house, can tax my very thinly stretched last nerve.
Yesterday was one one those days.
I offer the following scenario.
One Boy, 13, slightly bored and somewhat over tired from a late night outing the previous evening.
One Girl, 11, somewhat over tired from late night sleepover at friends.
One Mom, cleaning up family celebratory dinner of Boy and Girl's graduation's.
Boy, takes Girl's Fusion scooter out of garage to ride. Neglects to ask Girl for permission.
Girl, witnessing brother riding her scooter, runs out yelling at him as if he's just run over her beloved dog with same scooter. Proceeds to physically try to remove Boy from scooter with shoving and less than respectful verbal discourse.
Boy, pissy about Girl's attitude, basically tells her to suck it.
Girl, comes running to Mom for sympathy about Boy "who always takes my things and uses them without asking and now won't get off my scooter, even after I said get he can't ride it."
Boy, trailing behind Girl, because he knows how this works, complains "that there has been physical contact and that she wasn't using her scooter anyway and she used to take my scooter all the time before she got her own, and never asked before she did, and she doesn't have to be so snotty about it."
Mom, asks Boy if he asked whether he could use Girl's scooter. Boy glares at both Girl and Mom, muttering "No but she never asked." Mom glares back and responds, if you didn't ask, don't touch.
Girl, exhibiting indignant smugness, tells Boy "don't ride my scooter."
Mom glares back at Girl and asks if Girl exhibited any respect when she asked Boy to get off scooter, knowing full well the answer. Girl grumbles about Boy never listening when she says he can't touch her stuff.
Mom tells them both to suck it. At least in her head. Mom reminds Boy and Girl about respect for each other's property and using words like please and thank you. Makes Boy and Girl apologize to each other and to leave each other the hell alone for the remainder of the evening. Reminds Girl that physical contact is not acceptable and tells Boy to use his own damn scooter, which he wanted so damn bad that he nagged parent's for weeks about it.
Boy and Girl go to separate area's, grumbling in solidarity about unfairness of Mom response.
Mom decides the one remaining hard cider on the fridge shelf will be the great equalizer of moods.
Lather, Rinse, Repeat several times a day. Minus the hard cider.
1 comment:
Sorry I totally forgot about the dinner. My mind is like a strainer, too many holes in it. I wanted to come but got busy and distracted. Kids will be kids and tempers are the worst in the summer. boredom strikes again
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