We have been stuck at home all week due to the lingering sickness. Everyone still has a bad cough so we have stayed indoors and at home. During this time it was brought to my attention how disrespectful my children can be sometimes with each other and us adults. So we decided to kill many birds with one stone. Anytime at all that they speak or act in a disrespectful way they have to get out their notebooks and write sentences. They write between 5 and 10 for each transgression, unless they give any attitude or try to buck me. We have one who got 40 snetences at one sitting because he was innocent of course. (wink!) This is forcing me to listen to everything that is said in the house, therefore I have been hanging with them a lot this week and the notebooks are being used so much that they stay out all the time. The benefits are: spelling improvement, penmanship, and discipline. The benefits for me are: more active listening, discipline, and hopefully more respectful, obedient children.It has been a long and tiring week, but I shall not grow weary in doing good. (sigh!)
7 comments:
I hate to say it, but it does wear me out! :) :) I just keep holding on to the knowledge that the fruit will be worth it in the end!!
We have this problem from time to time as well. I used to think t was because the girls are all the same gender and are just "at that age"(12, 12, 13). Then I realized that I am sometimes (not often, but sometimes) prone to sarcasm myself. So like you, we are working on getting them to be more respectful in their speech and interactions. Of course, this includes mom as well.
I hear ya Terry! :)
Cat-
What kind of sentences are you having them write? Just curious. I may use this in my parenting arsenal later. heehee
Ang,
Anything from "I will not back talk my mom", to "God loves a cheerful heart", I will show respect to my brother", etc, etc. I am tryig to reinforce the positive rather than making them dwell to much on the negative, but they have all written "I will not hit my brother."
Good stuff Catrina. Thanks for sharing this.
your nice, my dad did a 100 at a time, and i worked my way up to 2000 in one night! i was a sassy little 9 yr old, it think it was. 1000 of i will respect mom and 1000i will respect dad, did teach me a lesson though. so, if they whine about 40, just call scott, and tell him tell them some stories. :):) just don't let him show them his quick sentence writing sytem...he hated them.LOL
glad you've gotten some extra time with them, it's good now and then for the exact reasons you mention.
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