Or I WOULD be a Parenting Genius. If only the kids would cooperate.
Yesterday we bought the baby a new pool float, and at the same time picked up an inflatable tube for the bigger kids, since it was on clearance for just $3.99.
I only bought one, and for this I have three reasons. First, it was just an extra impulse buy, and I had no problem spending 4 bucks on junk that will no doubt have a hole in it by the end of the summer. But I'm not going to spend 12 bucks on three peices of junk.
Second, I don't want to have three big inflatable tubes to carry to the pool in addition to the babies floaty, 5 towels, and a bag of snacks and various surf barbie/diving dora/swim goggles.
Third, I believe siblings need to learn to share. They need to know how to take turns and understand that they don't get their very own EVERYTHING.
Today we got ready to go to the pool, and blew up the new floats. An argument broke out about the new tube float.
"I get it first because I helped blow it up!"
"No, I get it first because I already called it! I said it last night AND I said it this morning! MOM!"
"Wahhhh! That's not FAIR! I get it first because I helped blow it up!"
Already tired of settling all the "not fair" arguments this morning, I came up with a brilliant parenting technique. The don't NEED me to settle everything.
"We won't go to the pool until you two come up with an agreement about who goes first, and who goes sec---"
"I GO FIRST!"
"NO I'M GOING FIRST!"
I am also tired of hearing it, so I kicked them out. "Go settle it in the backyard. Outside! And negotiate! Maybe whoever goes second gets extra---"
"I GO FIRST!"
"THAT'S NOT FAIR! WAHHHH!"
I closed the door and went back to packing the poolbag. Feeling proud of how I was making them come to their own solution. They'll probably argue about it until one of them figures out a way to get a longer turn in exchange for going second. It'll probably be the older one.
Then out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash of purple pass by the living room window. I looked up. Next My son ran after the purple flash, spraying the hose, and shouting.
"WHO'S GOING FIRST?! WHO'S GOING FIRST?!"
"WAAAAHHHHHHH! MOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!"
So in the end we had a fifteen minute argument about who would go first and who would get extra time.
I should have saved the $3.99.