So being a stay at home Mom is great. And homeschooling the little whipper-snappers? Yep. That’s great too. We’re just a barrel of laughs around here all the time. Uh-huh.
Except that lots of times, these kiddos are stinkers. They fuss and fight and argue, and my favorite? Is when they tattle.
Oh yes! It’s true! I cannot get enough of the tattling! Please be sure to tell me EVERY time your brother pokes your arm with his pencil. Just go ahead and shout it from the other room, “MOOOOOM…HE’S DOING IT AGAIN!!!!!!” That is definitely information I can’t live without. I mean, how can I possibly get on with my day if I’m not aware of each and every move the children are making at all times?
A couple of weeks ago the tattling reached an all time high in the York household. And suddenly, for some unknown reason, it made me want to pull all of my hair out and shove it directly into my ears. AAAGGHHHH!!!!
So in a last ditch effort to save my sanity (and hair for goodness sake!) I referred back to the book that has saved me countless times before: Creative Correction by Lisa Welchel. And sure enough, she had a suggestion for tattling that made me smile and wonder why I hadn’t thought of it myself.
Tattle Reports.
It’s genius really. Before the tattling child can rat his or her sibling out, he/she must complete a Tattle Report. When the report of the offense is turned in to the parent, the parent checks the report for correct spelling and grammar. Any errors must be fixed before the parent will address the offense.
Do you know how much this has cut down on the tattling in my house??? Oh My Gosh!!! I can hear birds singing again outside my windows. There is music coming from the radio. Rain gently tapping on the rooftop. It’s SO wonderful!
And the reports? I love ’em. The first one I got said, “Savannah tooted in my face on the steps” and the second one said “Emery was kicking me and he wrote on me in this color” (with a scribble mark to show the color). Hahaha…yep, I’m happy to say, we’re laughing again!
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