Irish Mommy
September 05, 2007
Do I need to pull over?
As I drive home from MY workout at the YMCA with two extremely whiney boys, I feel the veins in my neck getting tighter and tighter. I think to myself, maybe my head will explode and without ears, perhaps I will no longer hear the nagging cries of: Momma more this, Momma more that, Momma, Momma, Momma...
Then we pull up in the drive way and the whinning is still at full throddle, into the garage... still going! Now don't think I'm just sitting in the drivers seat just taking the abuse. I tried threats of spanking, no snack and my favorite from childhood -- Do you want me to pull over? Now that's enough to make me laugh out loud! You see when I was young and my Dad got angry at my siblings and I for bickering or fighting, he would make this same threat. The big exception being - he actually did pull over once and made my sister and I walk home! It was only a mile, but man did that ever make us change our behavior in the future. We knew that when Dad said "do you want me to pull over?" It meant, get out and walk.
Then we pull up in the drive way and the whinning is still at full throddle, into the garage... still going! Now don't think I'm just sitting in the drivers seat just taking the abuse. I tried threats of spanking, no snack and my favorite from childhood -- Do you want me to pull over? Now that's enough to make me laugh out loud! You see when I was young and my Dad got angry at my siblings and I for bickering or fighting, he would make this same threat. The big exception being - he actually did pull over once and made my sister and I walk home! It was only a mile, but man did that ever make us change our behavior in the future. We knew that when Dad said "do you want me to pull over?" It meant, get out and walk.
Putting this all in perspective makes me appreciate EVERYTHING my parents did for me and my three siblings. We all fought 24/7 and made many trips to Brainert to visit my grandparents. How did they deal with us four kids?
posted by IrishMommy at 12:54 PM
5 Comments:
I know how we did it- we were scared of our Dad for some reason. So make them SCARED of you. :) Maybe they know you are a softie on the inside.
I think it's much harder when they are closer in age- you would have just hit me over the head with a bat if I was whinning and Mom or Dad wouldn't have to deal with it. :) Kidding.
I am not sure how they handled us 4 munchkins all at once! Making us walk home did definitely do the trick that time, or the cold water threat, or egg over the head.
OK, let's talk about the bread basket under the bed! The cold water really happened, it wasn't a threat. The egg thing, well nothing like having your face shoved into a plate of poached egg on toast...
MOA to the BTB
I mean MOH to the BTB
Can't wait to see Mitchell and Levi walking down Valley Creek in the near future!
You're a graet mom Shawn. Thanks for the chat today. I hope all went well with all the extra little ones...and no more box cutters were discovered by 3 year olds!
Oh yes, this is a good one! Many times that very same phrase was heard in the Adams' vehicle. Or better yet "the look" from my dad (which was enough for all of us kids to stop in our tracks). He didn't have to say a word to us. My sister Phyllis mastered it while she was raising my nephew, Eric. It still makes me laugh now to remember the day he told me, Aunt Paula, my mom gave me "the look" today!!!
Hang in there, Shawn! And try to master "the look"!
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