As I pried open one eyeball this morning and saw my littlest son standing before me, his reason for being there reminded me of a few more things I do with my kids to encourage sharing.
He was there because his big brother had the magazine that he really wanted to read and he was hot about that. Of course I tried the route of who was the owner of the magazine and then who had it first, but neither of those routes of thinking were any help. It was a community item being sought after. So I thought to myself, “Why do they have these issues so early in the morning? Couldn’t they have this issue in about an hour when I’m truly awake?” No luck for me there so I rolled over and got out Mommy’s Best Friend when it comes to negotiation. I got out my timer! Such a simple thing but it works wonders! I got up and found the offender and told him the situation. He had 10 more minutes of reading that magazine and then the jig was up. It would then be his little brother’s turn. I love the sound of a dinging timer!
Sometimes when this trusty timer option doesn’t work, I’ve got a back up plan. It’s called the “Shelf of Unavailability”. It’s really just the top of my refrigerator where toys disappear to when they are causing too much conflict. It’s pretty amazing how young they can mutter the word “unavailability” when they know that is where their toys will end up of they don’t figure out a way to share. It’s almost like an abyss for toys in their mind. If an item gets to a point that my children have lost all reason and cannot work things out then that is when I remove the coveted item and store it on “The Shelf” for a period of time. Eventually it ends up back into the hands of the children, but depending on the item and how much conflict it incurs determines how long it stays there. Just a peek at my shelf will tell you that weapons end up there fastest and remain the longest. I don’t know about you, but anything long–even just a pool noodle becomes a weapon of some sort in the imagination of my boys. No thank you! I try to avoid opportunities for my children to beat the snot out of each other.
Now for today, the timer worked but who knows what will end up on my shelf by the end of the day!
I actually just bought a timer on a cord which I can hang around my neck. It’s bright red and can’t be missed!
Hello, I stumbled across your blog EARLY this morning and I am now going back in your entries to get to know you a little better! We have sooooo much in common! It’s nice to meet you! God Bless!