Discipline Ideas
This is my first post so I will fill you in on my current situation. (You can view the ages in my profile.)
We get my step children every other weekend (normally) however my husband is currently pulling the night shift and works every weekend. So that means he is with the Skids in the morning until he lays down to sleep around 1pm-ish. He gets up around 8-8:30p to get ready for work and leaves for work at around 9:30-10p. When the three of my skids are together they ALWAYS fight. I know, I know, this is probably normal. And it is in fact tolerated at the BM's house. My biggest beef is what to do with these kids when they start fighting. I have tried to engrain it in to their heads for the past 4 1/2 years to keep their hands off of each other, but it doesn't work. It is constant complaining and whining when they are all here together.
What can I do to make it sink in to their thick little skulls that I am fed up? I have tried removing priviledges, talking calmly and lovingly. Nothing works.
I do my best to keep my distance from them when they are here. I would love to disappear on the weekends they arrive. But that just isn't an option.
Any clue how to deal with this?
Separate them!
Put them in different rooms when they fight. Put a tv in each room & make them stay there.
I agree
I agree with separating them but no TV. That's a reward for bad behavior and bad behavior should not be rewarded. I guess I would find things for them to do away from each other. Disapline suggestions have come up often on this site and with lots of good ideas. Some of mine have been writing sentences, chores like scrubbing grout with a toothbrush, picking up sticks in the yard or other super boring and tedious stuff. Find fun things to do with them as a group of individually like baking, crafts, board games, watching a movie together, organizing things like cabinets or cupboards. My own kids fight regularly but they are BS16, BD12 and BD7 so there needs and wants are all different. My oldest likes to help parents and I tell him I can handle it and to but out. My middle one is super bossy to the youngest and I threaten chores and that usually stops her and the youngest just gets sent to her room.