ALERT!
Hell….just froze over.
No, MamaBear is *really* serious here.
Hell didn't just freeze over, it ate the North Pole.
And MB is so tickled pink by this, she could stand up and sing.
Kinda like this.
But she digresses.
No, today, MamaBear's Honorable Son #1 (middle school child)….saw his brother was crying and instead of asking him to be quiet so he could finish his video game, actually *stopped* playing, ran over, comforted his brother, and then got MamaBear to handle the situation.
Gentle reader, you have no idea how earth-shattering this is.
Honorable Boy 1's general motto in life is, "I'm Honorable Boy #1…and alas, you are *not*. It is my patriotic duty to explain this to you, several times if necessary, in hopes of alleviating your sorrow."
We kid you not.
For the past several centuries, MamaBear has been trying to figuratively beat into HB1 the notion of… "compassion."
She tried many different tactics…but one of them ultimately *worked*.
And here it is.
Whenever HB1 was arrogant or condescending to his siblings, MamaBear imitated the same thing…intensified 37 times.
And whenever HB1's siblings *showed* compassion, MB made sure to praise them to the skies in front of HB1.
Methinks the word 'agonizing and tedious' got coined during these times.
Make no mistake about it; it was beyond painful and irritating.
Imitating arrogance over the top, causing one's child to cry, and all-around making the point so dramatically it's never forgotten….it's not for frail souls.
But it ultimately worked!
Children are *not* born with compassion, and siblings are often *not* infused with appreciation for each other.
It's up to the parent to belabor the point….so long as it's effective.
- Going in one ear and waving madly as it zooms out the other – that's not effective.
But continuous reinforcement, continuous consequences and continuous praising…that can truly swing the day.
If your child is an arrogant little twit like HB1 used to be, take MamaBear's advice. Beat it out of them (figuratively of course) and help them buy a clue.
It will make your family's life far more enjoyable…and compel your child to become better than ever.
Parent well,
MamaBear