Tuesday, Cara and the girls I watch came home from school. As always, I had a snack waiting for them when they walked in the door. On that particular day I laid out a granola bar and a gogurt for them. After they finished their snack, Cara began whining about being starving. I told her too bad, that they didn't need to eat an entire meal after school and that dinner was only an hour and a half away. She'd live. This is a daily argument!
She threw herself on the floor, all dramatic, and started writhing around going, "I'm starving to death! I'm so hungry I'm going to DIE! I'm STARVING!!!"
I told her to get her butt up and get her chores done. She just kept at it. Then the other girls were like, "Oh, we're starving, too."
And I dunno what happened - one of those bright white flashes of light in my brain went off - it was just too much for me to listen to any longer. So I dragged them, all three, over to the laptop and I googled "starving child". And I made them look. At multiple images.
I said, "You three are NOT starving. THOSE children are starving. They are so hungry they eat weeds and grass they find growing on the ground."
Cara was all, "Mom. It's not the same."
I said, "No, it's not, at all. You eat more in ONE DAY than this kid eats in a month - maybe even a year."
They were all staring at the screen and I told them, "I never want to hear any of you say that you're starving to death again. None of you even knows what it means to be starving. Hungry? Sure. Starving? Not even close."
So, yk, I'm not sure if this was a good object lesson or not, but I really hope it was effective.
My next plan? When they tell me they have NOTHING to do - I'll sit them in a room with absolutely nothing in it and tell them NOW they have nothing to do. HA! I'm kidding. But OY! that drives me batty, too!
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24 comments:
Go mom!
I remember my Dad used to tell us that - he never had the pictures to show us, but it still stuck. I just looked at that and thought...I better never say those words again either!!
Good for you. I'm not above the odd internet video/pictures. Someone just told me about a book related to this just for the preteen. I think I'm going to check it out.
Woohoo...great job Mom. I'm sure they'll think more than twice before saying it again, and maybe even provide this lesson to someone else who says they are starving!
Yay you! I do this with my kids too.
And there are sober people in Utah, so finish your beer.
Sometimes it takes an in-your-face OH! to realize things. I just had a similar conversation with my 2 oldest who didn't like what we had for dinner. I told them about the starving children in Haiti.
That was good. I'm going to have to remember that one.
Good for you! I think it was a lesson that needed teaching!
Haha! I like the room idea :O)
I hope you are feeling well!!!
I love your posts they usually make me cry and always make me laugh. Thank you!
score! good one!
i think the room idea is brilliant, too! my next house...will have a "nothing room" just for that purpose!
I think that is completely appropriate! Our kids are the luckiest children in the world and sometimes gratitude is lost on them.
Good idea! I'll have to remember that next time my kids say they are STARVING to death!
Too funny! I will have to remember that the next time mine whine about starving...probaly today after school!
If I ever said I was bored I had to dust the house. So even now as an adult I still don't say I am bored.
I get that too and I love I mean hate when they say they have nothing to wear. Adam and Eve had nothing to wear. Gosh they are killing me.
I like this idea alot!! My style of parenting for sure!
I think that was the perfect response! Something they will probably remember - at least for a few days right? And it IS amazing how quickly the pregnancy hormones kick in sometimes isn't it? Frightens me sometimes!
You go Girl!!! {not go girl as in the pee in your purse thing}
I love your answers and guess what...that photo speaks volumes. I need to cut back on the Reeses..seriously!
I think it's a great way to teach them about real life!
You Go Heidi! I'll give you an award, that is an awesome way to handle this.
And, after they're done with the room? Can I borrow it? I'd like to do "nothing" for a while!
Oh, and Heidi? Did you know that you can delete that above comment from "Peter"? :)
My kids told me today, when I told them they couldn't have a snack 10 minutes before dinner time, that they were starving. I instantly thought of you and was overly tempted to pull out my laptop and educate them. But I was up to my elbows in raw chicken and...I'm lazy. :) Thanks for the bday wishes, I'm feeling MUCH better. Hope your hormones don't have you doing anything too crazy....like ::gasp:: spooning. :)
Wow. Speechless. Wow.
thats very cool of you my blog is dedicated to that struggle
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