That's the refrain of the Middle East.
I only did that because you did that.
Well, you did that first....
Well, in 1967 you ....
But in 1948 you ....
Could the adults please stand up, is my thought.
A colossal immaturity, an immaturity which sullenly harbours grievances for generations, which nurtures hate, fear and narrow-mindedness is the problem again.
Some days you just have to conclude that we are appallingly bad at life.
Informed Comment is a great place to get, well, informed comment, on the Middle East. Read Juan Cole. He's also looking for some maturity in this situation.
Unfortunately, "Yes, I am saying that Wahhabi Saudi Arabia and the Bush administration Secretary of State are the adults in all this."
Oh dear. That doesn't sound promising at all.
And in the meantime, at my house:
S/he started it....
But you did that......
I only did that because ......
NO! I didn't do that! You did it. And anyway, I did because you....
Children! Let's talk about this. Come, get some water, have a seat, and let's talk. NO. You may not throw your flip-flop at people. Or the wall. You may not throw shoes of any kind at anybody. Except at weddings. I think it's good luck at weddings. Or is it that you're supposed to tie shoes to the car at weddings? I think maybe it's rice you throw. Probably safer not to throw shoes. Anyway. Um. What was the problem again?
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Tips for dealing with squabbling children:
-feed them. Make sure they're adequately nourished before trying to change or influence behaviour. Also be sure they're rested.
-organize safe, positive interactions. Fun games and recreation. Supervise it well and if necessary, lure tense people out to their corner so they can relax a bit. It's sometimes very stressful to interact with others. Give people opportunities for face-saving exits when they need to take a break to regroup.
-give them a common goal or task.
-read to them.
-play music. Soft and soothing for lolling around and staring at the ceiling, as well as fast and loud for jumping around.
-reward good behaviour.
Maybe the tips will help Condi and the House of Saud.
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4 comments:
And try not to resort to saying "Because I said so!" ;)
So maybe we should invite the middle east to a good ol' barbecue? It's too bad we can't send all the parties to their rooms to calm down.
Enough sleep. Don't forget the sleep. Because without that and regular lashings of food, my crew can get pretty crabby. I think Stephanie is right, we need a Middle Eastern bbq followed by naptime for all...
we make our squabbling kids sit on the same stair together until they can get along. They can't talk to anyone else, play or do anything else until they can be pleasant to each other. Within about 10 minutes or less, they are friends again.Maybe there is a stair big enough somewhere????
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