It started this morning with a pair of pants. One child was wearing pants that the other child claimed to own that used to belong to a third child, and it was a horrible tragedy. Confused? Me too.
It was just the latest battle over clothing among siblings that I am so glad I (mostly) avoided when I was growing up. And I am so tired of having to mediate amongst the various sides. I never know what clothes belong to which child, and I really hate the screaming and tears and threats.
Just this morning, after I made the offending child remove the pants, I heard this:
Owner of the Pants: Where’s my sweatshirt? SHE probably took all my sweatshirts too.
Wearer of Not Her Pants: (Starting to go on a very mean rant)
Mother (that’s me): That’s ENOUGH.
Wearer of Not Her Pants: Mom, I’m going to punch her in the face.
Mother (Still Me): No, you are NOT.
And then I walked into my bedroom where my husband was and repeated that last line while shaking my head.
Father (that is my husband): I told Wearer of Not Her Pants that she could wear them and then you said she couldn’t. That isn’t good parenting.
Mother (still me): I didn’t KNOW you said that. If I’d have known, I wouldn’t have said anything.
And this is a problem in our house in the morning because most of us do everything at loud volume so everyone can hear, but my husband goes to the person and talks quietly and calmly, and I don’t know. So OBVIOUSLY, he should operate at a louder volume, right? Probably won’t be happening.
And so, this morning, I declared an embargo. No ONE can wear any thing that belongs to anyone else no matter what, and (KEY POINT) there can be NO DEALS amongst siblings to enhance trades. All sounded fine with it this morning, but we shall see.
The Owner of the Pants is always very concerned with her belongings but admits to wearing clothes belonging to others without asking. The Wearer of Not Her Pants also fails to ask most of the time but is ready to “punch her in the face” if she discovers anyone wearing her stuff.
And I am hoping the embargo will end the battles, but I have been a mother of three girls for a long time, and I somehow doubt it. If by some miracle they stop arguing about clothing, there will just be a battle about something else.
I am glad I have boys!
The biggest difference I see here between your morning ritual and mine is that I have all boys so there is no issue with clothes. And mine actually DO punch each other in the face without stating it first.
KEEP BELIEVING
Hee hee hee. I remember my sister and I calling my mother at work to have her our settle fights over clothes. I wonder now how she kept so calm…
So far I’ve not had to deal with this one…my girls are six years apart with the boy in the middle, so the sizes are so different that it’s not an issue. Yet.
These other moms of boys must not have two boys who INSIST on wearing the SAME THING. And if the other one is daring to wear a shirt that the other one doesn’t own, all hell breaks loose. Kids.
Hoping the embargo works for… awhile.
I am SOOO scared of my girls doing this… they’re 6 and 2, so they’re not really fighting over clothes yet. But I’m sure my day will come.